Many U.S. states have the post of poet laureate, which is typically held by a prominent poet. The responsibilities of the poet laureate are typically similar to those of the British Poet Laureate and the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, to make public appearances and promote awareness of poetry and their geographical region.
Most holders of the these titles reach preeminence by public competition, and use the office to further the knowledge and enjoyment of poetry and the written word by citizens of the states in which they hold office.
Laureates have occasionally been controversial; former New Jersey laureate Amiri Baraka refused to resign after a controversy over a poem, and so New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey abolished the position.[1]
The following are the current Poets Laureate of their respective states:
| State | Current incumbent | Term of office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Sue Walker | 2003–2012[2] | |
| Alaska | Nancy Lord | 2008–2010 | |
| Arkansas | Peggy Vining | 2003– | |
| California | Carol Muske-Dukes | 2008– | |
| Colorado | David Mason | 2010–[3] | |
| Connecticut | Dick Allen[4] | 2010–2015 | |
| Delaware | JoAnn Balingit | 2008– | |
| District of Columbia | Dolores Kendrick | 1999– | |
| Florida | Edmund Skellings | 1980– | |
| Georgia | David Bottoms | 2000– | |
| Idaho | Anthony Doerr | 2007–2010 | The title in Idaho is "Writer in Residence", not Poet Laureate |
| Illinois | Kevin Stein | 2003– | |
| Indiana | Karen Kovacik Peggy Martin |
2012 2007–2009 |
Now "premier poet" (unofficial laureate, a position in existence since 1929) as opposed to official laureate (since 2005) |
| Iowa | Mary Swander | 2009– | |
| Kansas | Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg | 2009–2012 | |
| Kentucky | Gurney Norman | 2009–2011 | |
| Louisiana | Julie Kane | 2011‒2013 | |
| Maine | Wesley McNair | 2011–2016 | |
| Maryland | Stanley Plumly | 2004– | |
| Minnesota | Joyce Sutphen | 2011– | |
| Mississippi | (none) | Successor not yet named | Winifred Hamrick Farrar died in 2010 |
| Missouri | David Clewell | 2010–2012 | |
| Montana | Sheryl Noethe | 2011‒ | |
| Nebraska | (none) | Successor not yet named[5] | |
| Nevada | Norman Kaye | 1967–2007[6] | |
| New Hampshire | Walter E. Butts | 2009– | |
| New Jersey | (none) | Existed 1999‒2002 | Amiri Baraka was Poet Laureate from 1999–2002 before the position was eliminated. |
| New York | Jean Valentine | 2008–2010 | |
| North Carolina | Cathy Smith Bowers | 2010–[7] | |
| North Dakota | Larry Woiwode | 1995– | |
| Oklahoma | Jim Barnes | 2009– | |
| Oregon | Paulann Petersen[8] | 2010–2012 | |
| Pennsylvania | (none) | Existed 1993‒2003[9] | |
| Rhode Island | Lisa Starr | 2007– | |
| South Carolina | Marjory Heath Wentworth | 2003– | |
| South Dakota | David Allan Evans | 2002– | |
| Tennessee | Margaret Britton Vaughn | 1999– | |
| Texas | David M. Parsons | 2011– | |
| Utah | Katharine Coles | 2006–2011[10] | |
| Vermont | Ruth Stone | 2007– | |
| Virginia | Kelly Cherry | 2010–2012 | |
| Washington | (none) | Samuel Green was Poet Laureate from 2007–2009 before the position was eliminated. | |
| West Virginia | Irene McKinney | 1993– | |
| Wisconsin | Bruce Dethlefsen | 2010–[11] | |
| Wyoming | David Romtvedt | 2004– |
There has never been an official State Poet Laureate in Arizona, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, or Ohio.
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