Alabama Newscenter — Alabama Poet Laureate Jennifer Horne Has Enjoyed Being State’s ‘Public Face’ of Poetry

The complete article can be found at AlabamaNewsCenter.com.

By TJ Beitelman and Karim Shamsi-Basha

Alabama poet laureate is more than an honorific title. It’s not a lifetime achievement award, either. The poet laureate is poetry’s chief advocate and ambassador in the state.

Any Alabamian can nominate a candidate for poet laureate, as long as the candidate meets criteria set out in the nomination guidelines. The Alabama Writers’ Cooperative (AWC) president nominates a selection committee of prominent Alabama poets and literary arts advocates, representing not only the AWC but other influential literary organizations in the state. The committee members consider nominees carefully and select one for AWC members to ratify at the annual meeting. The governor then officially confers the title on the chosen nominee in a ceremony in Montgomery.

Jennifer Horne is Alabama’s current poet laureate, selected in 2017. With her term coming to an end this year, the AWC is accepting nominations through Monday, March 15 for Alabama’s next poet laureate. To nominate someone, email tjbeitelman@asfa.k12.al.us.

Click HERE to see the full article on the Alabama NewsCenter website.

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