CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An instructor from Queens University of Charlotte has been honored as the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States, joining a line of distinguished poets who have served in the position.
Ada Limón, who teaches creative writing in the university's Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program, will open her term with the Library of Congress on Sept. 29, when she will lead with a reading of her work at the Library's Coolidge Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
"Ada Limón is a poet who connects," Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. "Her accessible, engaging poems ground us in where we are and who we share our world with. They speak of intimate truths, of the beauty and heartbreak that is living, in ways that help us move forward."
The university notes Limón has taught in the MFA program since 2014, teaching both in Charlotte and in Latin America as one of the core faculty members in the Latin America track. She's taught in that track since the program's inception in July 2014. The Latin America residency allows students to move back and forth between Charlotte and two-week residencies during their time in it. Residencies rotate among Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Santiago, Chile.
"What an incredible honor to be named the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States. Again and again, I have been witness to poetry's immense power to reconnect us to the world, to allow us to heal, to love, to grieve, to remind us of the full spectrum of human emotion," Limón said. "This recognition belongs to the teachers, poets, librarians and ancestors from all over the world that have been lifting up poetry for years. I am humbled by this opportunity to work in the service of poetry and to amplify poetry's ability to restore our humanity and our relationship to the world around us."
Limón, who also works as a freelance writer based out of Lexington, Ky., has authored six books of poetry. The Carrying earned the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry and was named one of the top books of the year by the Washington Post. Most recently, The Hurting Kind was published in May 2022. She also hosts The Slowdown, a poetry podcast.
"Ada Limón is both a great talent and a fantastic builder of community. She will be outstanding in this new post," said Fred Leebron, director of the MFA program at Queens. "At Queens, we always say that the irony of creative writing is it gets done in isolation but it takes a community to sustain it. Ada has been so integral in building that community."
While her term as Poet Laureate starts in September, the university notes she will be the first Poet Laureate to offer an early event outside of the country as she conducts her first unofficial event at the Queens University of Charlotte Latin American residency in Buenos Aires on July 28. This event is limited to MFA students, faculty, and staff, and will feature a bilingual conversation on poetics.
The Laureateship itself has existed since 1937, and poets selected for the position are expected to help the nation understand and appreciate the reading and writing of poetry. The library season is opened by the Poet Laureate in the fall and closed by the Laureate in the spring.