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

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.

About Us

The Montgomery County Poet Laureate Program was started in 1998 by Joanne Leva.  As a member of the Indian Valley Arts Foundation, Joanne recognized the value of personal expression through the literary arts and poetry and saw an opportunity to benefit the community, offer broad-based education for people of all ages, and improve the access to cultural outlets, leading her to form the MCPL.

The Poet Laureate competition includes a community service directive with a program developed by each Poet Laureate to elevate the literary arts in the community, expand their own personal experience and increase overall awareness of the program. As a result of this initiative, MCPL has expanded the many programs available to experience and learn about poetry including our most recent addition, the Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate Competition.

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
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