Arts Commission names new State Poet Laureate

From IDS Reports

The Indiana Arts Commission recently named George Kalamaras as the new Indiana State Poet Laureate.

“I am deeply honored with this appointment and absolutely thrilled to serve the people and state of Indiana in this way,” Kalamaras said in a press release.

The professor of English at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne is the author of six books of poetry.

He has received numerous past awards for his work, including a Creative Writing Poetry Fellowship Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and two Individual Artist Fellowship Grants from the Indiana Arts Commission.

The State Poet Laureate Program was officially created in 2005 when Governor Mitch Daniels signed legislation that aimed to increase poetry awareness.

Joyce Brinkman was the first State Poet Laureate from July 2005 to June 2008, followed by Norbert Krapf and Karen Kovacik.

The duties of the Poet Laureate include making presentations at educational facilities and promoting poetry to schools and communities across Indiana.

Kalamaras was chosen by a special selection committee after a statewide call for nominations.

His term as Poet Laureate will run through the end of next year.

“I look forward to serving as Poet Laureate and am grateful beyond words for the faith the Indiana Arts Commission has already shown in me,” he said.

— Rachel Osman