Power of Culture Blog
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Office of Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll
Today, Governor Maura Healey signed an executive order creating the first-ever Poet Laureate of Massachusetts. This new, honorary position is intended to promote poetry and creative expression across the state, serve as the Governor and Lieutenant Governor’s ambassador of the arts, and inspire the next generation of writers.
“Massachusetts has a rich legacy of pioneering poets, from Phillis Wheatley Peters to Robert Frost to Emily Dickinson to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Our administration is committed to honoring this legacy by celebrating the many contributions of poets to our state, including their ability to inspire future generations,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’re grateful to the Mass Cultural Council for their strong partnership in creating this important position, and we encourage poets from across the state to apply when the application goes live.”
“From day one, our administration has been committed to supporting arts and culture in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The creation of the Poet Laureate is not only an investment in our creative economy, but also an invitation for us to embrace the unique power poetry has to open our minds, stir our hearts, and educate us all.”
“Mass Cultural Council is thrilled that today, Massachusetts – a celebrated hub of arts, culture, history, creativity, and innovation – is embracing poetry and creative expression and establishing an official Poet Laureate,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. “This position will continue our proud tradition of using language and creativity to tell stories, evoke emotion, inspire new ideas, and sometimes, call others to action. It is truly an honor to partner with the Healey-Driscoll Administration on this initiative, and to again shine a bright spotlight on the power of culture.”
The Poet Laureate will be charged with encouraging the appreciation of poetry and creative expression across Massachusetts, organizing and attending public readings and other statewide literary and cultural events in different regions, composing poetry for ceremonial occasions, and advising the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on an outreach program for schools focused on the celebration and advancement of poetry.
The Executive Order establishes an advisory Poet Laureate Nominating Committee to review applications for the role and submit recommendations to the Governor. The selected candidate will be eligible for a stipend provided by Mass Cultural Council.
Since taking office, Governor Healey has worked to find ways to invest in and celebrate the arts. Governor Healey expanded the art on display in the Governor’s office, last year adding Black Tie by Robert T. Freeman and At the Tremont Street Car Barns by Allan Rohan Crite from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The office also has on loan from the museum, Early Summer by J. Appleton Brown, Spring Hillside by J. J. Enneking, George Washington by Francis Alexander, Landscape by Leslie Prince Thompson and Showery May Morning by J. Appleton Brown. Last year, the Governor’s office began hosting a temporary exhibition in the reception area celebrating Black History, Native American Heritage, Cape & Islands, Climate Month, Pride Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
More information about the Massachusetts Poet Laureate and how to apply will be available this Spring.
