Governor John Baldacci Appoints Maine's Poet Laureate

Elizabeth "Betsy" Sholl, Maine's Poet Laureate.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Sholl, Maine's Poet Laureate

Elizabeth "Betsy" Sholl, Maine's third Poet Laureate began her five-year term in 2006. Sholl, from Portland, Maine, holds an MFA in poetry writing from Vermont College an MA in English literature from the University of Rochester where she was the Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a BA in English Literature from Bucknell University where she graduated magna cum laude. Betsy teaches at Stonecoast Writers Conference, the Frost Place, Vermont College and has been visiting poet and poet in residence in numerous institutions. Betsy is the author of 8 books of poetry, her latest being Late Psalm, published in 2004. Ms. Sholl a two time recipient of the Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship Award the 1999 and 2002 Crowley/Weingarten Award for Excellence in Teaching, Vermont College, the 1997 Felix Pollak Prize from the University of Wisconsin and the 1994 National Endowment for the Arts Artists Fellowship.

Poems by Poet Laureate Elizabeth "Betsy" Sholl:

Last Boat
Little Elegey
Messengers Falling to Our Aid

For more information on Betsy Sholl, please review her listing in our online directory of artists.

Maine's Poet Laureate

The honorary office of the State Poet Laureate was created in 1995. Maine's first Poet Laureate was Kate Barnes of Appleton. Her poem, Maine Then and Now: Some Echoes from the Land, was written during her first term as Poet Laureate in honor of the State of Maine.

Hallowell poet, Baron Wormser succeeded Barnes. His poems have been described as "characterized by a moral intelligence that recognizes the personal and political intertwinings of American culture." Throughout his 25 years of experience as an educator, he has worked to promote the art of poetry. He offers residencies featuring in-class writing and workshops for teachers who want to include poetry into the classroom on a daily basis. Learn more about Baron Wormser at http://www.baronwormser.com/.

Portland poet, Elizabeth "Betsy" Sholl, succeeded Wormser and is the current Poet Laureate for the State of Maine.

For information on Poets Laureate across the nation, please check the U.S. Library of Congress website at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/poets/.