April is celebrated as National Poetry Month, which is the perfect opportunity for the community to honor and engage with Athens-Clarke County’s recently announced 2024–2026 poet laureate, Mikhayla Robinson Smith.
Smith is a poet, author, spoken word artist, essayist and educator who calls Athens home. After graduating from the University of Georgia’s English program in 2020, she followed the education pathway and currently teaches first grade in the Clarke County School District. As Athens’ second poet laureate, Smith is also the first Black woman to hold the position. She follows local educator Jeff Fallis, who first took the role from 2021–2023.
The poet laureate program was introduced in 2020 with support from the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission (ACAC) and administered by the ACC Leisure Services Arts Division. The ACC government states on its website that the position is meant to enhance the profile of poets, poetry and literary arts within the community, and one of the primary expectations of the poet laureate is to bring poetry to segments of the community that have less exposure and access to the art form. The poet laureate serves a two-year term with a $2,000 honorarium funded in installments, with an agreement to make guest appearances and promote poetry through community projects.
“Having a poet laureate position not only gives more visibility to the literary arts but also promotes literacy and education throughout the community,” says Tatiana Veneruso, public art coordinator for the ACC Leisure Services Arts Division.
In ACAC’s press release Mar. 6 announcing Smith as the new poet laureate, she says that she “hopes to share the freedom that she finds within words with others, and to prepare a table for those who may not have looked for liberation through them.” Having felt the beauty of what poetry can do, she says that she believes in the power of words and hopes to “illuminate the necessity of poetry.”
“Poetry, for me, became a means of expression but also a means for survival. I need poetry to help me express myself; it’s the way that I think. My goal is to make a space for people like me, who may not know what is possible through poetry,” says Smith. “My goal is to uplift those unheard voices, while also shedding light on the rich tradition of poetry and literature in the Black community. Audre Lorde said poetry is a necessity, and for me it is. I think that there are so many systemic pressures that keep us from being able to pursue our passions.”
As an educator and a mother, Smith has a special interest in cultivating the youth’s interest in and access to poetry. Among her plans as poet laureate are open mic nights, writing workshops and events where children are welcome to participate and be themselves. Similar opportunities and encouragement as a child are what shaped Smith into a poet herself. She shares that her parents championed education within their household, and she was always reading and writing from an early age.
“My mom tells me that I wrote a poem in kindergarten, and that was probably my first interaction with poetry. My love for poetry really grew in high school. I joined the poetry club and enjoyed the works of Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and would read any of the Black classics I could get my hands on. I started going to open mic nights, poetry readings and submitting my work to literary journals. Attending the University of Georgia taught me what was really possible. I gained access to different writing styles and techniques. My educational experience allowed me to be exposed to many different genres that shaped my writing,” says Smith.
As part of its National Poetry Month programming, the Arts Division has announced some upcoming activities for the month of April with more on the way. There is a video available to watch of Smith’s inaugural poetry reading of “When We Hold the Sky” at the Flight of the Fireflies Lantern Parade. She will also give a reading for the ACC Mayor and Commission at their meeting Tuesday, Apr. 16 at 6 p.m. The reading will be recorded with a video available online afterwards. Smith also shares that she and local artist Broderick Flanigan are collaborating on a Poetry and Art event on Apr. 22 at Hendershots from 6–8 p.m. The event will begin with a spoken word performance by Smith and live painting by Flanigan. Afterwards there will be live music.
For the entire month of April, anyone can Dial a Poem at 762-400-POEM to hear a recorded selection of original poems by Smith and Fallis.
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