August 11, 2014 (New York, NY)—The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce that Dr. Madeleine Fuchs Holzer has joined the organization as its first Educator in Residence. This honorary position reflects the organization's long-standing commitment to supporting K-12 teachers and encouraging young people to engage with the art of poetry. The Academy of American Poets created the very first Poets-in-the-Schools program in the early 1960s, and in 1996 launched the nation's first Online Poetry Classroom, offering a suite of curated educational materials available for free on the web, as well as in-person trainings for teachers.
"For nearly fifty years the Academy of American Poets has been a leader in serving teachers of all subjects who are interested in bringing poetry into their classrooms. We're thrilled to have the gift of Mady's time and expertise as we continue this tradition by strengthening and expanding the resources we provide to teachers on the new Poets.org and beyond, including some which align with Common Core Standards in response to teacher demand. Mady not only brings a deep expertise in curriculum development, she also has classroom experience, and a lifelong appreciation of poetry," said Jennifer Benka, Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets.
Dr. Holzer is the former Director of Arts in Education at the New York State Council on the Arts and Executive Director of EmaginationEd, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering perception, imagination, and creative action across academic disciplines. For over twelve years, she served as Educational Development Director and Program Development Director at Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, where she wrote the Institute’s Capacities for Imaginative Learning and other conceptual documents. At the same time, she was responsible for the Institute’s Education Programs K-12 and Teacher Education collaborations in the New York City Metropolitan area, as well as the initial development of the High School for Arts, Imagination and Inquiry, and partnering with New Visions for Public Schools on the establishment of two new charter high schools. A writer and educator, Holzer’s poetry and essays have been published in Education Week, Black Fly Review, Footwork, Paterson Literary Review, and Pearl, among others. She has taught at Cornell and New York Universities, and at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York. In addition, she taught poetry at East Side Community High School in New York City, and was Senior Editor for English/Language Arts at Sunburst Communications, where she developed the award-winning digital programs Romeo and Juliet: Center Stage and In My Own Voice: Multicultural Poets on Identity.
Holzer holds an Ed.D from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MA in English with a concentration in creative writing from New York University, and a MSW with a concentration in community organization from the University of Michigan. She was also a fellow at the MacDowell Colony.
About the Academy of American Poets
Now in its eightieth year, the Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. For over three generations, the Academy has connected millions of people to great poetry through programs such as Poets.org, the Academy’s popular website; National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world; American Poets magazine; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events. In addition, since its founding in 1934, the Academy has awarded more money to poets than any other organization through its Academy of American Poets Prizes.