Portland Poet Laureate Program
About the Portland Poet Laureate Position
Yashaswini Derisala
Signature MiMi
The Portland Poet Laureate is an honorary position awarded every three years to a resident of the Greater Portland area who is both an accomplished poet and an excellent ambassador within the community, helping to promote and win new audiences to the art of poetry.
The current and eighth Portland Poet Laureate is Signature MiMi. 2024 marks the first year where the Portland Poet Laureate Committee has selected a Portland Youth Poet Laureate, Yashaswini (Yashu) Derisala. Both poets will be inaugurated later this year. The Poet Laureate Program runs on volunteer power, drawing on a local group of poets and poetry lovers who serve as a selection committee and assist with projects.
History of the Portland Poet Laureate
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.
See how the program got started and read about the previous Poets Laureate.
What Does Portland’s Poet Laureate Do?
Portland’s Poet Laureate spreads appreciation for poetry as they choose. With the support of library staff, each Portland Poet Laureate has developed a small project or series of projects.
Previous Poets Laureate have:
- Curated a reading & performance series
- Placed poems in public spaces
- Hosted a local access TV show featuring poets
- Taught workshops in schools
- Developed an anthology of poems by local poets
- Written a regular poetry column in the Portland Press Herald
- Launched an online poetry/spoken word/hip-hop website and curriculum
More information about previous Poets Laureate can be found on our website.
Who Qualifies?
The poet must live in one of the following towns and have lived there for at least a year: Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, Falmouth, Westbrook, Cape Elizabeth, or any of the islands in Casco Bay.
The poet should have both an impressive body of work and a history of being active in the local poetry community, including attending and/or organizing readings, being affiliated with an organization, magazine, or press which promotes poetry, or trying to expose more people to poetry.
The poet should be at least 15 years of age.
