Today marks the one-year anniversary of the official induction of Jaki Shelton Green as North Carolina’s first African American poet laureate.
To recognize the thousands of miles and hundreds of public appearances she has made as our state’s ninth poet laureate, the North Carolina Arts Council released a new Arts Across NC podcast episode featuring a candid conversation between Ms. Green and N.C. Arts Council content strategist and host Sandra Davidson. Listen to the new podcast.
Born and raised in Efland, North Carolina, Ms. Green has been active in our state’s literary and teaching community for more than 40 years. She’s written eight books of poetry and a play, and she co-edited two anthologies of poetry. The American Academy of Poet Laureates awarded her a $75,000 fellowship last April.
Ms. Green discusses the impact and public reception of her historic appointment and reflects on her experiences meeting countless North Carolinians during her tenure as poet laureate in the interview.
“Creativity is medicine, and sometimes I feel like I'm just carrying the spoon. Sometimes I feel like my job is to show up and help people realize the medicine resides in them,” Ms. Green says of her mission to promote the literary arts as poet laureate in the podcast.