Montgomery County Poets Laureate
The Annual Montgomery Poet Laureate Competition is the foundation upon which the MCPL Program was built. The competition is the ultimate expression of the program’s mission; creating an ever expanding community of poets, supporting their work and providing opportunities for poets to elevate their visibility while also benefiting the community with their service project, many of which continue long beyond their tenure.
How does the competition work?
Each year MCPL recruits a celebrity poet with a national reputation, who along with two additional local Delaware Valley poets, adjudicate the submitted manuscripts.
The newly selected Montgomery County Poet Laureate is honored with an award in the amount of $500 along with a personalized statement about their work, which is shared through MCPL and other local organizations.
The Award is presented during an Award Ceremony and Reading, open to the public and attended by the celebrity judge and previous poets laureate to read with and welcome the newest member of their esteemed ranks.
Who can compete?
Poets of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to submit their poetry for review and adjudication in the annual competition. Poets must also be residents of Montgomery County. The window for submissions generally opens in early December and closes mid-February with the winner to be announced at the end of March.
The role of the Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureate functions as an ambassador for poetry in Montgomery County from April 1 of the year of his/her naming to March 31st of the following year. This role includes working with MCPL’s Executive Director, Joanne Leva, to develop a schedule of readings, workshops
Appearances may include the Forgotten Voices Poetry Group, Farley’s Bookshop First Thursday Poetry Reading Series, and the annual Caesura Poetry Festival. They may also hold the office of “
2022 MontCo Youth Poet Laureate Evan Wang
We are proud to announce Evan Wang as the Youth Poet Laureate for 2022
王潇/Evan Wang is a young writer and performance artist from Pennsylvania. His work is forthcoming or has been published in VIBE, Philadelphia Stories, National Poetry Quarterly, and elsewhere. He is an alumnus of the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and an Anaphora Fellow. His work has been recognized by or featured at Wawa Welcome America, the ruth weiss foundation, the Sarah Lawrence College Writing Institute, Bleeding Soul Poetry, and Society of Poetry.
2023 Celebrity Judge – Gilad Jaffe
Gilad Jaffe is an Iowa Arts Fellow at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Originally from New York City,...
Jennifer Schneider, 2022 Montgomery County Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate 2022 Jennifer Schneider Jen Schneider is an educator who lives, writes, and works in...
