MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Amie Whittemore, Murfreesboro Cultural Art's 2020 Poet Laureate, has been awarded a $50,000 fellowship by The Academy of American Poets to lead poetry programs in the community in the year ahead. A combined total of $1.1 million was awarded amongst 23 individuals by the organization. In addition, the Academy will also provide $66,500 to 12 local 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that have agreed to support the fellows' proposed projects.

"We have been honored to have Amie as a part of the Murfreesboro Laureate program," said Debbie Hunter, Murfreesboro Cultural Arts. "I can't wait to see the fruits of her poetry programs in the year ahead."

Whittemore is the author of Glass Harvest (Autumn House Press, 2016) and teaches English at Middle Tennessee State University. In collaboration with The Porch and Southern Word, Whittemore plans to conduct a series of writing workshops, open mics, and school visits culminating in a conference for LGBTQ+youth in Murfreesboro. She also supports Poetry in the 'Boro, a local reading series featuring local and regional readers and an open mic.

"As we face the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more people are turning to poetry for comfort and courage. We are honored and humbled in this moment of great need to fund poets who are talented artists and community organizers, who will most certainly help guide their communities forward," said Jennifer Benka, President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets.

Through its Poets Laureate Fellowship program, the Academy has become the largest financial supporter of poets in the nation. The fellowship program is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which, in January of this year, awarded the Academy $4.5 million. The award will fund the program in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

"We are gratified to support the poets laureate fellows as they engage their communities around the unprecedented challenges of our moment, making work that provides meaning, brings beauty, and helps us, in Lucille Clifton's words, 'sail through this to that,'" said Elizabeth Alexander, poet and President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

For more information on the Murfreesboro Cultural Arts Laureate program, visit the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department's Cultural Arts page at www.murfreesboroparks.com.

Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to providing vibrant public spaces and inclusive programs delivered with visionary leadership and caring staff that engage the individual and strengthen the quality of life of our community.