History of the Portland Poet Laureate Program

The Portland Poet Laureate Program was founded in 2007 by Maine poet Dennis Camire, who worked with local poets, poetry lovers, and the City of Portland to form the nonprofit Maine Poetry Central.

In 2017, Maine Poetry Central was dissolved and the Portland Poet Laureate Program needed a home. Considering the historic link of the U.S. Poet Laureate Program and Library of Congress, the public library became a natural choice to host the city’s laureate program.

In April 2018, Portland Public Library adopted the Portland Poet Laureate Program with the mission of sharing appreciation for reading and writing of poetry throughout the Greater Portland area.

Past Portland Poets Laureate

Maya Williams

2021-2024

Maya Williams (ey/they/she), Portland’s seventh Poet Laureate, is a Black Mixed Race queer nonbinary person, suicide survivor, and poet residing in Portland, Maine. They currently serve as MaineTransNet’s Sexual Assault Program Coordinator, where they develop peer support groups for trans survivors and educational material on trauma informed trans competency for advocates. They also serve as co-host of the video series Dying/Laughing, which analyzes the representation of suicide and mental health in TV and film. Maya has published poetry in glitterMOB, Occulum, The Portland Press Herald, Littoral Books, FreezeRay, and more. Learn more »

Linda Aldrich

2018-2021

Linda Aldrich was the first Poet Laureate to serve after Portland Public Library adopted the program. Read more about Linda and watch recordings of her events. Learn more »

Gibson Fay-LeBlanc

2015-2018

During his term as Portland Poet Laureate, Gibson focused on two community projects: a weekly poetry column for the Maine Sunday Telegram called Deep Water: Poems from Maine, and Written, Spoken, Rapped, a series of web-based videos and curriculum ideas to help high school teachers and students write poems for the page, for performance, and for hip-hop.

Poetry by Gibson:

• Deke Dangle Dive
• How to Survive – editor
• Port City Poems – contributor
• Death of a Ventriloquist

Marcia F. Brown

2013-2015

As Portland Poet Laureate, Marcia co-created the Words Matter Visiting Poets Series, a public literary arts program that brought nationally recognized poets to Portland. She also edited Port City Poems, an anthology inspired by the City of Portland.

Poetry by Marcia:

• In the Afternoon
• When We Invented Water
• Port City Poems – editor
• What on Earth

Bruce Spang

2011-2013

Writing by Bruce:

• All You’ll Derive
• Not Just Anybody
• The Deception of the Thrush
• Boy at the Screen Door
• Port City Poems – contributor
• Passion and Pride – editor
• To the Promised Land Grocery
• Tip End of Time
• The Knot

Steve Luttrell

2009-2011

During his Portland Poet Laureate term, Steve Luttrell created and hosted Poets’ Cafe, a show on Community Television Network that shared appreciation for poetry.

Poetry by Steve:

• Plumb Line
• Twelve Moons, Twelve Poems
• Pemaquid and Other Poems
• Home Movies
• Outside the Circle
• This n’ That
• Conditions
• The Vagaries
• The Green Man and Other Poems

Martin Steingesser

2007-2009

Martin Steingesser was Portland’s first Poet Laureate. During his term, he organized readings and taught workshops throughout Maine, including appearances at the Stonecoast Writers Conference, the Common Ground Fair, the Bangor Public Library, the North Star Café, the Portland City Council, and the State of the Laurel Poetry and Music Road Show at the St. Lawrence Arts and Community Center.

Poetry by Martin:

• Yellow Horses
• Port City Poems – contributor
• Passion and Pride – contributor
• Brothers of Morning
• The Wildman