Find poetry readings, workshops, festivals, conferences, literary organizations, and poetry-friendly bookstores, and learn more about poets laureate, in your area.
State Poet Laureate
In 1931, Alabama established a state poet laureate position, which is currently held by Ashley M. Jones, who was appointed in 2021 and will serve through 2026. Jones’ most recent collection is Reparations Now! (Hub City Press, 2021).
City and County Laureates
Birmingham
In 2023, Salaam Green was appointed the inaugural poet laureate of Birmingham.
| Type | Title | State |
|---|---|---|
| Writing Program | University of Alabama Program in Creative Writing | Alabama |
Born in Athens, Georgia in 1974, Brian Teare is the author of several poetry collections, including The Room Where I Was Born (University of Wisconsin Press, 2003), which was awarded both the Brittingham Prize and the 2004 Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry.
Margaret Walker was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1915. The first African American poet to receive the Yale Younger Poets Prize, she was the author of For My People (Yale University Press, 1942) and This Is My Century: New and Collected Poems (University of Georgia Press, 1989), among others.
Arna Wendell Bontemps was born on October 13, 1902, in Alexandria, Louisiana,