NH Poet Laureate receives $50k fellowship to support development of new poetry projects

CONCORD — Alexandria Peary, the current State Poet Laureate of New Hampshire, is one of 23 poets nationwide who have been chosen to receive a $50,000 fellowship from the Academy of American Poets, according to an announcement from Don Kimball, President of the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. PSNH recently nominated and helped to select Peary as the NH Poet Laureate for the next five years (2019-2024).

The Academy of American Poets’ laureate program is separate from the one operated by the Library of Congress. Its purpose is to fund creative projects such as workshops, conferences, and readings that focus on community engagement across the country. This national fellowship program, now in its second year, was expanded from its original 13 poets and funded through 2022, thanks to a $4.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The 23 recipients include poets laureate from nine states, plus a variety of cities, counties, and the Navajo nation.