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The North Carolina Poet Laureate is the 
North Carolina Poet Laureate
– North Carolina Arts Council.
North Carolina Poets Laureate at Library of Congress
{{NC Poets Laureate, state=autocollapse Poets Laureate of North Carolina American Poets Laureate North Carolina culture
poet laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...
for the US state of North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. At first a life appointment, the term of office is now two years. The program is run by the North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council is an organization in the U.S. state of North Carolina that provides grants to artists, musicians and arts organizations. The group's mission is "arts for all people." It was founded by executive order in 1964 by Gov ...
. Laureates are appointed by the Governor of North Carolina
The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...
.
History
Many years before the position was established, poet and journalist John Charles McNeill was unofficially called North Carolina's Poet Laureate and while official permission from the legislature to name a poet laureate came in 1935, no one was actually appointed to the position until 1948. A joint resolution of theNorth Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
created the office, giving the Governor of North Carolina the power "to name and appoint some outstanding and distinguished man of letters as poet-laureate for North Carolina."
Changes to the position began in 1997 when Governor Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...
appointed Fred Chappell as poet laureate, changing the term of office from a lifetime appointment to a term of five years. Hunt stated that he did this because the state had many quality poets. Lisbeth Evans, Secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources (which oversees the NC Arts Council), organized a committee in 2004 to update the guidelines of the resolution. These guidelines, which detailed the office's appointment requirements and made them gender-neutral, would be non-binding.
Responsibilities
The office-holder becomes an "ambassador of N.C. literature" and is free to create his or her own long-term projects. The position requires the laureate to participate in various literary activities across the state, working with "schools, community groups, and the press." The North Carolina Poetry Society also has the poet laureate select the winner of the Poet Laureate Award. The poet laureate receives a stipend of $10,000 and clerical assistance from the NC Arts Council.List of poets laureate
The following is a list of North Carolina poets laureate. * Arthur Talmage Abernethy (1948–1953; appointed byGregg Cherry
Robert Gregg Cherry (October 17, 1891June 25, 1957) was the 61st governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949.
Biography
Born in York County, South Carolina near Rock Hill, Cherry grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina with rel ...
)
* James Larkin Pearson (1953–1981; appointed by William B. Umstead
William Bradley Umstead (May 13, 1895November 7, 1954) was an United States of America, American politician who served as a United States Senators, United States Senator and the List of Governors of North Carolina, 63rd governor of North Carolin ...
)
* Sam Ragan
Samuel Talmadge Ragan (December 31, 1915 – May 11, 1996)Representative Eva Clayton of North Carolina''Tribute To Sam Ragan''(House of Representatives – May 16, 1996). Retrieved September 10, 2016. was an American journalist, author, poet, a ...
(1982–1996; appointed by Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...
)
* Fred Chappell
Fred Davis Chappell (born May 28, 1936 in Canton, North Carolina) is an author and poet. He was an English professor for 40 years (1964–2004) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was the Poet Laureate of North Carolina from 1 ...
(1997–2002; appointed by Jim Hunt)
* Kathryn Stripling Byer
Kathryn Stripling Byer (November 25, 1944 – June 5, 2017), also called Kay Byer, was an American poet and teacher. She was named by Governor Mike Easley as the fifth North Carolina Poet Laureate from 2005 to 2009. She was the first woman to ho ...
(2005–2009; appointed by Mike Easley
Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first
governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony.
A member of ...
)
* Cathy Smith Bowers
Cathy Smith Bowers (born 1949) is an American poet and professor. She teaches poetry in an M.F.A. program at Queens University of Charlotte. Bowers was named by Governor Bev Perdue as the sixth North Carolina Poet Laureate, 2010–2012. She has ...
(2010–2012; appointed by Bev Perdue
Beverly Eaves Perdue (born Beverly Marlene Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party who served as the List of governors of North Carolina, 73rd Govern ...
)
* Joseph Bathanti (2012–2014; appointed by Bev Perdue)
* Valerie Macon (July 11–17, 2014; appointed by Pat McCrory
Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American businessman, politician and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd Mayor o ...
); resigned
* Shelby Stephenson (December 22, 2014 – June 30, 2018; appointed by Pat McCrory
Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American businessman, politician and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd Mayor o ...
)
* Jaki Shelton Green (July 1, 2018 – ''current''; appointed by Roy Cooper
Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 20 ...
)
See also
* North Carolina literature *List of U.S. states' Poets Laureate
Many of the states in the United States have established the post of poet laureate to which a prominent poet residing in the respective state is appointed. The responsibilities of the state poets laureate are similar to those of the Poet Laureat ...
References
External links
North Carolina Poet Laureate
– North Carolina Arts Council.
North Carolina Poets Laureate at Library of Congress
{{NC Poets Laureate, state=autocollapse Poets Laureate of North Carolina American Poets Laureate North Carolina culture