Massachusetts announces its first state poet laureate position

Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order Monday to establish the first-ever Massachusetts poet laureate, according to a statement from the office.

Applications have not yet opened for the honorary position, which will serve as an ambassador for the arts to promote creative expression and inspire writers across the state.

Famous poets have come out of Massachusetts since the 1700s. They include Phillis Wheatley, who is considered to be one of the first Black and enslaved people to publish a book of poems. She learned English and history from the elite Boston family who enslaved her. Another is Emily Dickinson, whose legacy as a sharp and outspoken poet is memorialized in a museum in her hometown of Amherst.

“Our administration is committed to honoring this legacy by celebrating the many contributions of poets to our state, including their ability to inspire future generations,” Healey said in the statement.

Massachusetts was one of three states — along with New Jersey and Pennsylvania — to not have an established state poet laureate. More than a dozen municipalities had poet laureates of their own, including Boston, Somerville, and Worcester. Boston’s most recent poet laureate, Porsha Olayiwola, ended her term in January, according to The Boston Globe.

Healey’s order established an advisory committee to review applications and submit recommendations to nominate a candidate. The selected person will be eligible for a stipend from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, according to the statement.

Kelsey Rode, the director of external relations at MASSCreative, said the organization is “thrilled” to have an official state poet laureate.

“We think that it’s especially important now that we have ambassadors who are coming from the state, who are working to connect the creative sector throughout Massachusetts and working to make sure that as many stories are uplifted as possible across the state,” Rode said.

The state’s creative sector brings in about $27.2 billion in economic impact to Massachusetts, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Additionally, Massachusetts ranked third for art vibrancy in the nation, according to SMU DataArts 2024 ranking.

Daniel Johnson — executive director of Mass Poetry, which supported the Massachusetts Cultural Council in cementing the position — said having a state poet laureate has been “a long time coming.”

“Poets are amazing truth tellers,” Johnson said. “I think it’s incredibly timely to have someone step into this post with everything that’s happening in Massachusetts, nationally, and globally.”

Mass Poetry has 12,000 current members and has held its annual Massachusetts Poetry Festival since its inception in 2008. Johnson said he hopes the person chosen as the state poet laureate can “increase the visibility of poetry.”

When the poet laureate is announced, Rode said she hopes that person can “connect communities” across the commonwealth.

“When we’re talking about the creative sector, between disciplines and geography and identities, there’s a lot more work we can do to ensure that more people are included in this larger movement to bring more resources and greater equity and inclusivity to the sector,” Rode said.