Cahnmann-Taylor sets the stage for Athens' first Poet Laureate
Melisa “Misha” Cahnmann-Taylor, a professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, will chair a selection committee to nominate Athens-Clarke County’s first Poet Laureate. The city’s Poet Laureate will serve a two-year term lasting April 2021-2023.
The Poet Laureate, funded and administered by the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission, is an honorary position created by a resolution passed by the city council that provides the mayor the authority to appoint a citizen of the city as Poet Laureate. The Poet Laureate will bring poetry to areas of the community that have less access or exposure to poetry, including senior citizens, youth, schools, and more.
“Poet Laureates offer workshops, read at public events, and raise the prestige of the art form for the town,” she said. “This is a missing piece that can make Athens more culturally rich.”