BR’s new Poet Laureate
From left - Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, outgoing Poet Laureate Jonathan Mayers, 2023-24 Poet Laureate Taylor Scott & Arts Council CEO Renee Chatelain
Taylor Scott, assistant professor of English who teaches Freshman Composition and Introduction to African American Literature at Southern University, was introduced by Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome as the 2023-2024 Baton Rouge Poet Laureate at a press conference this afternoon at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Council. Begun by Broome in 2019 and coordinated by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, the program celebrates the city’s rich culture and diversity through the work of a poet to create excitement about poetry throughout the Capital Region via programs, teaching and written work.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to share my work with the larger community. There are so many talented writers in this city, and it’s an honor to know my work was selected. For me, this award serves as an important milestone in my artistic journey, and tangible proof of what is to come,” said Scott. “I am proof that programs such as Poetry Out Loud, Forward Arts, Humanities Amped, the Pinkie Gordon Lane Poetry Contest and the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition matter. At my core, I am a collaborator and I’m looking forward to networking for the purpose of cultivating an artistic renaissance right here in Baton Rouge.”