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The Free Library names Kai Davis 2024-2025 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, January 20, 2024- The Free Library of Philadelphia is pleased to announce the 2024–2025 Philadelphia Poet Laureate-Kai Davis, an award-winning poet, teaching artist and event organizer. Davis was selected from a competitive pool of applicants by the Poet Laureate Governing Committee and will serve in the role for two years. She will succeed Airea D. Matthews, who has served as Poet Laureate since 2022.
“I grew up in Germantown surrounded by artists and writers. It was there that I learned that poetry is a community practice. I believe that the Poet Laureate’s duty is to gather people on the margins and bring them to the center so that we can find and love one another. I am both honored and humbled to be tasked with this responsibility,” Davis said.
Kai Davis has four self-published collections, with additional poems published in The Offing and The Shade Journal. Davis has performed for TEDx Philly, CNN, BET, PBS, and NPR and in many notable venues, including The Kimmel Center. She is a two-time international grand slam champion, winning Brave New Voices in 2011 and The College Union Poetry Slam Invitational in 2016. In 2017, Davis received the Leeway Transformation Award for her years of art for social change work in Philadelphia and is the 2020 NextFab x Leeway Art and Technology Artist-in-Residence. Davis earned her BA in Africana Studies and English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Temple University. Currently, she is a Poetry Editor for Apiary Magazine and the Artistic Director for The Philly Pigeon.
“We applaud the selection of Kai Davis as Poet Laureate for 2024-25 by the Free Library,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “As an English teacher and lifelong student of literature, I love poetry. It gives voice to some of our deepest yearnings. I wish Kai Davis much success, and the opportunity to touch and inspire many residents across our great City.”
“We received a record number of applications for the Philadelphia Poet Laureate post this year: 16 applications from 12 different zip codes in Philadelphia,” said Yolanda Wisher, former Philadelphia Poet Laureate and Co-Chair of the Poet Laureate Governing Committee. “The selection of Kai Davis as our 7th Philadelphia Poet Laureate is emblematic of the ways the Philly poetry community continues to nurture laureates. Born and raised in Philadelphia, rooted in the performance of poetry, and one of our youngest adult laureates, Kai enriches the lineage and scope of the poet laureate program.”
The City of Philadelphia’s Poet Laureate program moved under the auspices of the Free Library in the fall of 2017. The Poet Laureate is a civic position that recognizes an exceptional poet who also demonstrates a commitment to the power of poetry to engage and inspire people throughout Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. In addition to the Poet Laureate position, the program also supports a Youth Poet Laureate each year—an honor that comes with an educational scholarship. The Poet Laureate mentors the Youth Poet Laureate, who represents the voice of Philadelphia’s young poets. Both poets engage with Philadelphia citizens through readings, events, and a special project of their choosing.
The Poet Laureate Governing Committee is comprised of poets, educators, and arts and culture organization professionals. In addition to committee chairs Yolanda Wisher and library representatives Adam Feldman, Head of the Art & Literature Departments and Kris Langlais, Head of the Field Teen Center, committee members include Trapeta Mayson, 2020-2021 Poet Laureate; Cydney Brown, 2020 Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate; Al Filreis, Faculty Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Kelly Writers House; Julia Terry, visual artist, educator, facilitator, and Education Program Officer at the Pennsylvania Humanities Councils; and Jeannine Cook, writer, educator, strategist, and founder and shopkeeper of Harriett’s Bookshop.
For more information on the Poet Laureate program, visit freelibrary.org/poetlaureate. Learn more about Davis at her website, https://www.kaidavispoetry.com.
01/20/2024
Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850