Glenis Redmond Named 2023 Poet Laureate by Academy of American Poets

The Academy of American Poets, a national organization that champions poets and poetry, has announced on July 25 that Glenis Redmond of Greenville has been named as a 2023 Poet Laureate. Redmond joins 22 other individuals from across the country in this prestigious honor.

Other 2023 Poet Laureates

• Jennifer Bartell Boykin of Columbia
• Diannely Antigua of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
• Lisa Bickmore of Utah
• Joseph Bruchac of Saratoga Springs, New York
• Lauren Camp of New Mexico
• Laura Da’ of Redmond, Washington
• Oliver de la Paz of Worcester, Massachusetts
• Farnaz Fatemi of Santa Cruz County, California
• Nicholas Gulig of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
• Peter J. Harris of Altadena, California
• Carla Rachel Sameth of Altadena, California
• Taylor Johnson of Takoma Park, Maryland
• Yalie Saweda Kamara of Cincinnati, Ohio
• Brandy Nālani McDougall of Hawaii
• Gloria Muñoz of St. Petersburg, Florida
• Sharon Kennedy-Nolle of Sullivan County, New York
• Shin Yu Pai of Seattle, Washington
• Willie Perdomo of New York
• Jason Magabo Perez of San Diego, California
• Erin Elizabeth Smith of Oak Ridge, Tennessee
• Junious Ward of Charlotte, North Carolina
• Joaquín Zihuatanejo of Dallas, Texas

According to Ricardo Maldonado, president and executive director of the academy, “The Academy of American Poets celebrates the unique position poets laureate occupy at state and local levels, elevating the possibilities poetry can bring to community conversations and reminding us that our national spirit can be nourished by the power of the written and spoken word. We are inspired by these projects — which include intergenerational workshops, city- and statewide festivals, community-generated publications and more — that the 23 Fellows will carry out and grateful to the Mellon Foundation and the nonprofit organizations supporting this life-affirming work.”

As part of the recognition, each 2023 Poet Laureate Fellow has been given a grant of $50,000.

Redmond plans to utilize the funds in the following ways:

• Collaborate with the Metropolitan Arts Council on the Verse and Visual project, which aims to bring together 10 poets and 10 visual artists for collaborative work.
• Commission 10 poets to create works inspired by Greenville City Parks.
• Showcase local and regional poets at the Artisphere event.
• Continue her Little Free Libraries project and Unity Park Poetry workshops in partnership with the city of Greenville.
• Host a Poet Laureate Reading in Greenville on May 10, 2024, featuring past and present poets laureate Jaki Shelton Green, Joy Harjo, Ed Madden, and Crystal Wilkinson, in cooperation with the Peace Center.

Glenis Redmond, Greenville’s first poet laureate, has an extensive background as a Kennedy Center Teaching Artist, conducting poetry workshops for school districts nationwide. She is also the author of six poetry books and has previously received South Carolina’s highest arts award, the Governor’s Award.