Current U.S. and State Poets Laureate

U.S. Poet Laureate:

Joy Harjo

Read more about the history of the U.S. Poet Laureate

State Poets Laureate:

Alabama: Ashley M. Jones 

Alaska: vacant

Arizona: Alberto Ríos

Arkansas: Jo McDougal

California: Dana Gioia

Colorado: Bobby LeFebre

Connecticut: Margaret Gibson

Delaware: Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Albert Mills

Florida: Peter Meinke

Georgia: Chelsea Rathburn

Hawaii: Kealoha

Idaho (Official Title: Writer-In-Residence): Diane Raptosh

Illinois: Angela Jackson

Indiana: Matthew Graham

Iowa: Debra Marquart

Kansas: Kevin Rabas 

Kentucky: Crystal Wilkinson

Louisiana: Mona Lisa Saloy

Maine: Julia Bouwsma

Maryland: Grace Cavalieri

Massachusetts: no position

Michigan: no position

Minnesota: Gwen Nell Westerman

Mississippi: Catherine Pierce

Missouri: Maryfrances Wagner 

Montana: Mark Gibbons

Nebraska: Matt Mason

Nevada: vacant

New Hampshire: Alexandra Peary

New Jersey: no position

New Mexico: Levi Romero

New York (Official title: State Poet): Alicia Ostriker

North Carolina: Jaki Shelton Green

North Dakota: Larry Wiowode

Ohio: Kari Gunter-Seymour

Oklahoma: Joe Russell Kreger

Oregon: Anis Mojgani

Pennsylvania: no position

Rhode Island: Tina Cane

South Carolina: Marjory Heath Wentworth

South Dakota: Christine Stewart-Nuñez

Tennessee: Margaret Britton Vaughn

Texas: Lupe Mendez

Utah: Paisley Rekdal

Vermont: Mary Reufle

Virginia: Luisa A. Igloria

Washington: Reina Priest

West Virginia: Marc Harshman

Wisconsin: Dasha Kelly Hamilton

Wyoming: Eugene Gagliano

Navajo Nation: Laura Tohe

Read more about the history of poets laureate positions at the Library of Congress. 

Read about starting a poet laureate position where you live.