The new date for the installation of North Carolina’s ninth Poet Laurate, Jaki Shelton Green, is Monday, Dec. 10 at the State Capitol.
The ceremony, originally scheduled in September, was postponed due to Hurricane Michael.
The ceremony starts at 4 p.m. in the old House Chamber at the State Capitol, located at
1 East Edenton St. in downtown Raleigh. This is a free event, but reservations are needed to attend. The ceremony may also be viewed via Livestream at https://bit.ly/2RarWjD.
Green was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper, who will lead the induction ceremony, along with Susi Hamilton, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Green will succeed Shelby Stephenson, who was named poet laureate in early 2015.
A native of Orange County, Green has been active in North Carolina’s literary and teaching community for more than 40 years. She has penned eight books of poetry, co-edited two poetry anthologies and written one play. She is a 2014 North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee and was the recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature in 2003.
The ceremony will include readings by both Stephenson and Green.
Green currently teaches Documentary Poetry at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. Over the last 40 years, she has taught poetry and facilitated creative writing classes in public libraries, prisons and shelters, universities and community colleges, public and private schools, and with literary organizations across the U.S.
She plans to focus her efforts on the creation of documentary poetry and will help North Carolina communities explore the ways they document their unique regional and personal histories.
For more information contact the North Carolina Arts Council at (919) 814-6500 or visit www.NCArts.org.
About the North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council builds on our state’s long-standing love of the arts, leading the way to a more vibrant future. The Arts Council is an economic catalyst, fueling a thriving nonprofit creative sector that generates $2.12 billion in annual direct economic activity. The Arts Council also sustains diverse arts expression and traditions while investing in innovative approaches to art-making. The North Carolina Arts Council has proven to be a champion for youth by cultivating tomorrow’s creative citizens through arts education. NCArts.org