The honorary position of State Poet Laureate was established in 1985 by the Connecticut Legislature.  As the state’s representative poet, the Poet Laureate functions as an advocate for poetry.  The Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) appoints a resident as the State Poet Laureate based on the recommendation of a panel of poets and other literary professionals.  The State Poet Laureate serves for a term of five years.
{Photo of John Hollander}
John Hollander, State Poet Laureate for 2007-2011, resigned in October 2009.  Nominations for State Poet Laureate (2010-2015) will be accepted beginning January 4, 2010 until March 31, 2010.  All nominations must be received in CCT’s office by 4pm on March 31, 2010. 

John Hollander

John Hollander is an inspiring presence in American literary life and one of the nation’s most distinguished poets.  Since receiving the Yale Younger Poets Prize in 1958 for his first collection of poems, A Crackling of Thorns, Mr. Hollander has produced an unparalleled body of work that is widely acclaimed for its brilliance, virtuosity and originality. This includes twenty-two books of poetry, several works of criticism, and numerous anthologies, as well as books for children and operatic and lyric works with composers such as Milton Babbitt and Elliott Carter.

Beyond his impressive history of publication, Mr. Hollander is a renowned educator, having taught at Yale University for decades until his retirement in 2003. His collection, Rhyme’s Reason, is the definitive handbook for teaching poetry and has influenced generations of students. A dazzling and inspiring lecturer, he has spoken to audiences of every sort and devoted countless hours to promoting an appreciation of poetry among the larger public. He has also written extensively about the relations between poetry and visual art, and  poetry and music.

Hollander’s many honors and awards include the Bollingen Prize, the Levinson Prize and the MLA Shaughnessy Medal, as well as fellowships from the MacArthur Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.  A former chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he received the 1997 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award.

Installation as Poet Laureate – March 7, 2007, Yale University Art Gallery
John Hollander’s poems
Bibliography of John Hollander’s work