Washington poet laureate Claudia Castro Luna

Oregon poet laureate Elizabeth Woody

Carmen Tafolla, inaugural poet laureate of San Antonio

Local Arts Advocacy in 2020 and Beyond!

I will join award-winning writers Claudia Castro Luna , Carmen Tafolla and Elizabeth Woody on a panel at AWP 2020 to talk about poetry and civic engagement.

State poets laureate attempt to bring poetry into the town hall, so to speak, across their communities. Why get people involved with poetry? The hope is that the word on the page starts needed conversations. Through our  love of poetry and literature, how do we encourage creative writing activism?

We will share insights from our recent experiences serving as state poets laureate. We’ll talk about the importance of projects that bolster democratic civic engagement. Discussion will include lessons on navigating tribal/national/state political, institutional, economic, and logistical challenges.

Panel moderated byAhimsa Timoteo Bodhrán, 2019 NEA and Tulsa Artist Fellow.

Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhrán, multimedia artist and 2019 NEA Fellow

JoAnn Balingit, former Delaware poet laureate and state coordinator of Poetry Out Loud

Event Title: State Poets Laureate of Color: West, East, and Gulf Coast Womanist Reflections
Scheduled Day: Thursday, 3/5/20
Scheduled Time: 03:20:PM–04:35:PM
Scheduled Room: Room 214A, Henry B. González Convention Center, Meeting Level

Event Outline: AWP20_Bodhran_SPLOC_Outline1.pdf