League of Minnesota Poets’ Poet Laureate Guidelines
Nomination Period:
January 1 to March 30 of every new 2-year term, beginning 2023.
Term of Service:
The League’s appointed Poet Laureate shall serve a 2-year term, beginning May 1 and concluding 24 months later on April 30.
Nomination Requirements:
Selection criteria will be made by the Poet Laureate Committee and submitted to the Executive Committee by April 5 of every new term.
The nominated poet will have:
- been known for high quality, published or documented work, and have demonstrated excellence in their poetry
- exhibited the capacity to foster public appreciation of and participation in poetry through readings, public presentations and/or teaching in diverse communities and online, throughout the state of Minnesota as a long-time member of the League of Minnesota Poets
- served as an ambassador of the poetic art form and have championed it within the League and their community to inspire the next generation of poets and their readers.
This position is an important way to honor a poet and recognize poetry’s place in Minnesota’s cultural tradition and civic life, including the service given to the organization’s own Mission “to make Minnesota poetry conscious, and conscious to its own poets.”
List of the League of Minnesota Poets’ Poets Laureates
1934 to 1963 – Margarette Ball Dickson (1890 – 1963) lived in Staples, MN and established the Dickson-Haining School of Creative Writing in Staples in 1931. She co-founded the League of Minnesota Poets and the St. Paul Poet’s Seminar in 1935. She was president of the League of Minnesota Poets from 1935-38 and named the Minnesota Poet Laureate by the national Poet Laureate League.
1982 to 1987 – Elvira T. Thompson Johnson (1908 – 1995) lived in Brooklyn Center and Duluth, MN. She shared the Poet Laureate honors with Norman Ronnie Boe. Elvira was a writer, editor, and public speaker. She was president of the League of Minnesota Poets, the Arrowhead Society, and more.
1982 to 1987 – Norman Ronnie Boe (1912 – 1995) lived in West St. Paul, MN. He shared the Poet Laureate honors with Elvira Johnson. Boe served as president of the League of Minnesota Poets for 16 years. He has lifetime recognition as Poet Laureate Emeritus.
1987 to 1992 – Patricia Joan Johnson (1933 – 2005) lived in Aitkin, St. Cloud, and Fergus Falls, MN. She authored seven books of poetry and won the Golden Poet Award several times, as well as other awards and honors.
1992 to 1997 – Wilfred (Bill) Johnson (1940 – 2024) was selected in 2014-16 for the Duluth Poet Laureate.
1997 to 2002 – Susan Stevens Chambers (1953 – ) lives in Good Thunder and has been active in the League of Minnesota Poets for many years as a lawyer and poet.
2002 to 2007 – Maxine Russell (1912 – 2012) lived in Brainerd and wrote poetry all her life. She had 6 published books at the time of her death.
2007 to 2012 – John Calvin Rezmerski (1942 – 2016) was from Mankato. He published more than 20 books, was active in the League, and was appointed Writer-in-Residence at Gustavus Adolphus in 1996.
2012 to 2016 – Shirley Ensrud (1929 – 2024) lived in Blue Earth, and was named “Woman of Achievement” in the Blue Earth area.
2016 to 2023 – Doris Stengel (1936 – 2024) lived in Brainerd and was a highly regarded poet. She belonged to the Heartland Poets, the League of Minnesota Poets, and the National Federation of State Poetry Societies.
2023 to 2025 – Charmaine Donovan (1952 – ) won the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for her book Tumbled Dry. She served as the League of Minnesota Poets President from 2004-2010 and was appointed as the 2015-2016 National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Inc. (NFSPS) Judges Chair position.
2025 to 2027 – Annette Gagliardi (1950 – ) lives in Minneapolis. She has been the President of the Mississippi Valley Poets (a chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets) since 2019 and headed the Nature Area Poetry Walk at Richfield Lake Park. She won the John C. Rezmerski Award in 2025 for her book, Benevolence.