Poet Laureate
of Hillsborough, North Carolina
About the 2025-2027 Poet Laureate: Amal Kassir
Amal Kassir is a Syrian American poet, born and raised in Denver Colorado to an Arab father and an American mother. She has performed & taught in 13 countries and cities all over, in venues ranging from orphanages to refugee camps to youth prisons.
At the University of Colorado Denver, she designed her own undergraduate major, titled Community Programming in Social Psychology, where she has been able to create programs for a range of causes and people.
She is the founder of House of Amal, a global writing community that sits at the intersection of introspection, faith, and literature. She is also the founder of the Mental Wellness Program for Muslim Youth for Positive Impact in Colorado, working to create access and dismantle stigma around mental health in the Muslim Community.
Amal moved to Hillsborough with her husband in 2023.
They bought a farm and settled into their new community, and since then, she has also embraced her new role as a mother. When asked about the different threads of her life—which she often weaves together in her poetry—Amal always comes back to the power of poetry to connect us and to build understanding and empathy.
Patricia Sullivan
The News of Orange County, 2025
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Poets Laureate of the Town of Hillsborough, NC:
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Amal Kassir, 2025-2027
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Jennifer Daniels, 2022-2024
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Dee Stribling, 2018-2020
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William Davis, 2016-2018
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Aaron Belz, 2014-2016
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Barbara Kenyon, 2012-2014
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Mike Troy, 2010-2012
Her first book, Scud Missile Blues, came out 2024 with 100% of proceeds to children afflicted by war. She is currently a youth mentor, a writing teacher, a farmer and a mother.
For more information, visit www.amalkassir.com.
*The Hillsborough Arts Council does not take on the role of an agent for the Poet Laureate, and all additional opportunities outside of their HAC contract should be managed directly by the Poet Laureate.
The Poet Laureate for the Town of Hillsborough, North Carolina, will serve a two-year term (Spring 2025-Spring 2027) and act as a public servant and Hillsborough's public poetic voice. The Poet Laureate fosters the appreciation of poetry in all its forms by developing programming and hosting opportunities for the community to engage with poetry and literature.
Q & A
What is a Poet Laureate?
A poet laureate is a citizen-poet usually appointed by a government with the purpose of composing poems for performances at special events. The tradition has roots in the ancient Greek and Roman practice of honoring accomplished poets with laurel wreaths. While a notoriously hard-to-define title, a poet laureate can be thought of as representing a community’s artistic heart and soul. Notable for its longevity, the British Poet Laureate title dates back to 1616 with poet Ben Jonson. Recognizing his services to the crown, King James I provided Jonson with a pension and an annual barrel of sherry. After Jonson’s death in 1637, another poet began to receive payment for similar duties. In 1668, the laureateship was established as an official royal office. At the role’s inception, the laureate’s main duties included writing birthday and New Year’s odes performed alongside music for the king or queen. During the mid-nineteenth century, the position’s duties shifted slightly to writing poems for royal and national occasions and celebrations. In the United States, the office that would eventually become the Poet Laureate was created in 1936 under the name of “Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.” Appointed by the Library of Congress, Consultants in Poetry performed duties similar to those of a reference librarian, serving as a collection specialist and resident scholar in poetry and literature. In 1985, the title was renamed to “Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry.” With this change, the position gained more prominence, and poets laureate began to develop programming, such as local poetry readings, lectures, conferences, and outreach programs. Holders of either title (consultant or laureate) include Robert Frost, James Dickey, and Robert Penn Warren. The current Poet Laureate of the United States is Ada Limón who has served since 2022. Another notable poet laureate title in the United States is the National Youth Poet Laureate, which celebrates and honors poets aged thirteen to nineteen committed to civic engagement and social impact. This program is supported by several federal entities, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Library of Congress, and the Kennedy Center. Perhaps the most famous National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, was the inaugural laureate in 2017. She later performed her poem – “The Hill We Climb” – at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021. Locally, Jaki Shelton Green has served as the North Carolina Poet Laureate since 2018, and many state municipalities, such as Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Durham, and now Hillsborough, appoint their own poets laureate. Funding for these programs usually comes from the city or town. For example, the funding for the Hillsborough Poet Laureate stipend is provided by the Town of Hillsborough. Outside the United States and United Kingdom, over a dozen national governments appoint poets laureate with many other communities having similar positions rooted in local traditions and customs, such as the Xhosa imbongi or praise poet in South Africa.
What is the history of the Hillsborough Poet Laureate Program?
Since 2010, this respected program has celebrated Hillsborough's literary culture and diversity. This program aims to honor and support talented citizen-poets, building on Hillsborough's rich literary heritage. In 2021, an attempt was made to relaunch the program, but with minimal public response, stakeholders decided to take a thoughtful pause to reassess the program to ensure it serves our community, the current landscape of literary artists active in our town, and HAC's mission as the program organizer. HAC took time to work with poets active in our community and were primarily assisted by the work of Jennifer Daniels. We'd like to take a moment to thank Jennifer Daniels (a.k.a. Jen Jus Write), the Host/Curator of the 2022-2024 Last Fridays Roaming Poets series. Jen ran and organized the Roaming Poets series, led workshops, and was our MC for HAC's first Poetry Open Mic Night! With a monthly lineup of poetic talent, Jen supported our Literary Arts community and engaged Hillsborough's poetic voices and interests. This represented an era of expansion, experimentation, and education for HAC, and ultimately held space for the return of Hillsborough's Poet Laureate Program. This opportunity for the next generation of poets in Hillsborough would not be possible without Jen's efforts. For these reasons, HAC is honored to recognize Jennifer Daniels as the honorary Poet Laureate of Hillsborough (2022–2024) for how she exemplified the potential of the position in service to our community. Behind the scenes, HAC consulted with neighboring towns to benchmark best practices and standards for current Town Poets Laureate, all of which helped to inform the ultimate relaunch of Hillsborough's program. In 2025, we were honored by the candidates who applied to the updated application, whose caliber has affirmed the value of the time and care we devoted to relaunching this program with renewed focus and heartfelt intention. The Hillsborough Arts Council is thrilled to announce Amal Kassir as the 2025–2027 Poet Laureate of the Town of Hillsborough, North Carolina! We’re honored to continue this cherished program that celebrates the power of poetry and uplifts the voices of future poets in our community.
What are the criteria to become Hillsborough's Poet Laureate?
The Hillsborough Poet Laureate must be a citizen-poet, over the age of 18, who cares deeply about community service and poetry advocacy in Hillsborough. Ideally, they develop a town presence during their two-year term, nurturing the appreciation of poetry and literature in Hillsborough by conducting public readings, workshops, lectures, or presentations in diverse public settings.
A strong Poet Laureate Candidate will demonstrate the following:
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Community Ties: Applicants must have traceable ties through personal or professional connections to the Town of Hillsborough, a strong interest in serving the local community, and subject relevance in their submitted works.
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A Passion for Poetry: Applicants must demonstrate a passion for poetry, performance, and public speaking.
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A Developed & Unique Poetic Voice: Applicants will be evaluated based on the effectiveness, clarity, and engagement of the written work, as well as a unique and strong poetic voice and perspective.
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Engaging Performance Quality: Applicants will be evaluated based on their comfort with public speaking and ability to engage an audience.
By broadening our requirements for citizen-poets at any stage of their literary journey, we hope to attract a diverse applicant pool in background, perspective, and poetic craft.
We encourage our Poet Laureate to pursue additional paid opportunities as long as it does not interfere with Poet Laureate duties and obligations.
Interested in becoming a Hillsborough Poet Laureate?
Click here for a PDF version of the most recent application materials. The next application window will open in spring 2027. Check back here, follow us on socials, or join our e-newsletter list for ongoing updates.
Contact
Questions about Hillsborough's Poet Laureate program or application process should be addressed to The Hillsborough Arts Council at programs@hillsboroughartscouncil.org.
Equal Opportunity Statement
The Hillsborough Arts Council is an equal opportunity contractor that is committed to diversity and inclusion. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.