Poet Laureate-Definition & Role
- a poet appointed to, or regarded officially as holding, an honorary representative position in a particular state, region, or country.
- serves as the official poet of the jurisdiction and seeks to raise the consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.
Press Release: Staiger Appointed ND Associate Poet Laureate
BISMARCK ND, June 20, 2019 – North Dakota Poet Laureate Larry Woiwode has named Bonnie Larson Staiger as an Associate Poet Laureate to help bring an increased awareness of poetry to people around the state. He will make the formal presentation and open a reading by Staiger at the North Dakota Heritage Center–Northern Lights Atrium at 7:00 pm on July 10, 2019. The public is invited.
Staiger is the recipient of the ‘Poetry of the Plains and Prairies Award’ (NDSU Press, 2018) and the ‘Independent Press Award: Distinguished Favorite’ (2019) for her debut collection, Destiny Manifested. She is currently working on her second book of poetry and often writes of the poignant subtleties of life on the high plains of the New American West as well as a world view observed from and shaped by this place. She’s the founder of the Staiger Consulting Group, a firm specializing in government affairs, advocacy, and association management.
Woiwode, a University of Jamestown professor, novelist and National Book Award finalist, has been North Dakota’s poet laureate since 1995.
Bonnie Larson Staiger 