L. Ruelaine Stokes

L. Ruelaine Stokes was born in Santa Barbara, California, on July 26, 1944. She has a BA in English literature from Stanford University, an MA in English literature from Michigan State University, and an MA in teaching from the School for International Training. 

Stokes is the author of Jar of Plenty (Goldenrod Music, 2021). Her work also appears in 4 Against the Wall (iUniverse, 2005), a collection of poems from four poets based in Lansing, Michigan. 

In 2023, Stokes and former Lansing Poet Laureate Laura Apol coedited My Secret Lansing (Goldenrod Music, 2023), a collection of poetry, prose, and photography by sixty-four residents of the tri-county area (Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton Counties). 

Stokes performs as a member of Voices of the Revolution, a multiracial and feminist spoken word group, and coordinates the Copper Chimney Lounge Poetry Series. A former teacher of English as a second language before her retirement, she currently serves as the poet laureate of Lansing through 2026.