ANNAPOLIS, MD - Mayor Gavin Buckley announces the appointment of Jefferson Holland as the next Poet Laureate for the City of Annapolis. The Annapolis Poet Laureate is an honorary role that promotes the literary arts and literacy within the Annapolis community. Mayor Buckley appointed the first Annapolis Poet Laureate in 2018. Mr. Holland will be introduced at the next City Council meeting (Nov. 12).
Holland's appointment follows the recommendation of the Art in Public Places Commission (AIPPC), which selected Holland after an application process that required the submission of poetry, application essays, and an interview. Holland will begin his term as Poet Laureate in November.
“I’ve known Jeff for years, and I was pleasantly surprised to see he had applied and been recommended for appointment by AIPPC,” Mayor Buckley said. “He has a uniquely Annapolis view of the world, which he has regularly shared through his writing about the people and places around Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.”
Lyn Farrow, chair of the AIPPC, said, “we are thrilled to once again appoint a Poet Laureate for the City of Annapolis for the 2024-2026 term. I want to thank Barbara Torreon and the other members of the Fine Arts Subcommittee for their diligence and professionalism during the selection process. In 2018 when the position of Poet Laureate was created, Annapolis poets stepped up to serve our community by inspiring them and supporting a sense of humanity and belonging through the reading and writing of poetry. Jeff Holland, already well-known to many in the city as a songwriter, essayist, and poet, brings a sense of joy and play to his work that makes him perfect for the role of Poet Laureate.”
Mr. Holland, upon being notified of his appointment, said, "I'm honored to be appointed Poet Laureate of the city I love. I'm eager to share my enthusiasm for the written and spoken word and I can't wait to see what creative juices we can stir up among the readers and writers of Annapolis. This is such an inspirational place, let's celebrate it together through that delightful art form called poetry."
The Poet Laureate serves a one-year term, renewable for a second year, and is encouraged to nurture appreciation of poetry and literature by conducting public readings, workshops, lectures and presentations in neighborhoods, schools, institutions of higher learning, and other public settings in geographically diverse areas of the city. The Poet Laureate will receive an annual honorarium of $1,000 from the AIPPC.
The past Poets Laureate for the City of Annapolis are U.S. Naval Academy English Professor Temple Cone, who was appointed for the 2018-2020 term, and Maggie Benshaw, a teacher of creative writing in the Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) program at Annapolis High School, who was appointed for the 2021-2023 term.
Further information is available at www.annapolis.gov/poetlaureate.
