In 2021, Debra Marquart was named an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Marquart will launch Sounding Our Place, a series of experiential literary events that pair an interest in place, the natural world, and environmental issues with poetry / storytelling, songwriting, and creative writing workshops. The events will be planned around the state of Iowa, with a focus on creating partnerships between young writers from local schools and environmental and conservation organizations, designed to reach communities in the rural corners and the urban areas of the state that do not generally receive attention in arts programming.