06-27-2024 Howard - Flipbook - Page 42
“I’ve always wanted
to try to bring people
together in the work
that I do, so that the
generations that follow
will have a better life
than, hopefully, the ones
that we live now.”
— Truth Thomas. poet laureate
Society, means that Thomas will become a familiar
face — and voice — as he reads his poetry at
county events.
His appointment coincides with the poetry
society’s 50-year anniversary, and he’ll soon be
joined by a youth poet laureate.
“Words connect. Words can help heal,” Ball said.
“Especially in these perilous times, people want
to be connected. They want to be inspired. They
want to have their hopes, dreams, aspirations, their
pain, their passions to be heard and conveyed in
ways that a poet laureate can help communicate
and articulate.”
Howard County government’s funding for the
position — which comes with a stipend of $5,000
per year — was proposed in Ball’s Fiscal Year 2025
operating budget and approved by the County
Council, his office said. It comes in the form of a
grant to the Howard County Arts Council.
“This is the first time, and whenever you do
something for the first time you’re breaking ground
and you’re blazing trails,” Ball said, adding that he
hopes the program will continue beyond Thomas’
term.
Poet laureate programs already exist in the
surrounding Prince George’s and Montgomery
counties.
Tara Hart, co-chair of Howard County Poetry
& Literature Society, said talk of establishing
the current poet laureate program “opened up”
last summer when it was announced that three
Columbia streets would be named in honor of
former resident and late poet Lucille Clifton, who
had served as Maryland’s poet laureate and as a
longtime artistic director of the literary group.
“Having a formal role in the celebration of
poetry is something that aligns very closely with
our mission of enlarging the audience for the
appreciation of contemporary literature. And we
believe that poetry is for everybody,” Hart said.
She added that the poet laureate will be
“infusing” poetry into everyday spaces where it
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| Summer 2024 | howardmagazine.com
