28 Years of Poetry & Community

The Montgomery County Poet Laureate (MCPL) program was founded by Joanne Leva of Lansdale, PA, to recognize and promote excellence in poetry and support the growth and visibility of the poetry community. Since its inception in 1998, MCPL has expanded the many programs available to experience and learn about poetry in part through the Poet Laureate’s community service projects.

Michelle Reale

2026 Montgomery County Poet Laureate

Michelle Reale is a full professor at Arcadia University in the Library and the English Department. She teaches poetry in Arcadia’s Low-Residency MFA program. She writes across genres and is the author of numerous books in her field of Library Science as well as two ethnographies dealing with her work with refugees in Sicily and narratives that trouble the Italian-American experience. She is the author of several poetry collections, most recently Let it be Extravagant (Bordighera Press, 2025) and the forthcoming Beautiful Lying Disguise.

évah myles

2026 Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate

évah myles (all lowercase like bell hooks) is a poet, multidisciplinary artist, and sophomore at Abington Friends School. Thus far, évah has written two poetry collections entitled enigma. (2024) and confessions of a dead poet (forthcoming June 2026).  évah spends most free time indulging in creative outlets. Outside of poetry, évah is a mixed-media artist, screenwriter, and zine maker. In 2025 alone, évah founded the Etymology of You annual slam open to all Philly students, founded and edited SOL Poetry Zine for queer Black youth, and began mentoring students of all ages in writing and poetry.

Forgotten Voices

The Forgotten Voices Group and Workshops are hosted on a monthly basis virtually and on location at Indian Valley Public Library.

Details

You Could Be the Next Poet Laureate...

Submissions for the 2027 Poet Laureate Competitions opens on October 16, 2026. Gather your poems and join the competition!

Submit My Poems

Our Mission

The mission of MCPL is to bring poets together to share their thoughts and ideas about poetry and expose the community to rich poetic traditions. We invite the community to partake in the myriad of free programs and projects lead by our very own Poets Laureate. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the MCPL program regards poetry as a local public art form and offers both awareness of and involvement in an artistic and cultural outlet.

Your Support

All activities are planned, implemented and funded by a volunteer Advisory Committee in partnership with local schools, libraries, publishers and other local businesses.

We need your support to continue our efforts, maintain our programs and grow our community. Please make a donation today to support the arts in Montgomery County, PA.

The MCPL program is part of the Indian Valley Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity organization.

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Montgomery County Poet Laureate Competition

Poet Laureate Adjudication

A rotating panel of representatives from the program will adjudicate manuscripts for both the Youth and Adult Poet Laureate Competitions and any runners up. Applications open in the fall, and winners are announced in April.

Manuscripts are read blind. The winning poet receives a cash award and a year of opportunities to enhance their public profile as a featured poet throughout the county in addition to their community outreach project. (A preliminary description of a community project is expected in the submission form.) The selected winner will be supported in shaping the scope and commitment for the coming year.

The Montgomery County Poet Laureate program also invites newly chosen laureates to join a community of past poet laureates, acclaimed local writers.

What is a Poet Laureate?

A Poet Laureate is an individual who composes poems, who has the ability to express poetic ideas in beautiful language, and has been identified as having the highest degree of excellence in poetry. 

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Meet the Poets Laureate
Submit My Poems