Chapel Hill Will Select Next Poet Laureate

The city will appoint a new community representative for a two-year term starting in January 2027.

Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in African-American

Gouache-painted illustration of a quill nib resting on vellum paper, evocative of the literary arts and community poetry. — Chapel Hill is initiating its search for a new poet laureate to serve a two-year term beginning in January 2027. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Chapel Hill is moving forward with the selection of its next poet laureate, who will begin a two-year term in January 2027. The city aims to appoint a new cultural leader to represent the local community through events and workshops.

Why it matters

The poet laureate program functions as a bridge between the arts and residents, ensuring the community experience is documented and celebrated through public literary engagement. This role allows a local voice to spearhead poetry events and community-building efforts.

The selected poet laureate will receive $6,000 in total disbursements over their two-year term, while each finalist is granted a $200 payment for their participation.

The players

CJ Suitt

CJ Suitt served as the inaugural poet laureate for the Town of Chapel Hill.

Donovan Livingston

Donovan Livingston is the current poet laureate of Chapel Hill and will release a mixtape in November 2026.

The details

Finalists will present their original poetry and proposed community plans to a selection panel this October. The role is personalized, allowing the successful candidate to shape their two-year residency around their own goals and community outreach initiatives.

Applications for the position officially closed on September 21, 2026.
Finalists will present their work and plans to a panel in October 2026.
The new poet laureate will be selected in November 2026.
The new poet laureate begins the two-year term in January 2027.

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Culture Shift

This appointment continues the established cycle of the Chapel Hill Poet Laureate program, which integrates arts advocacy directly into the fabric of local civic life. It reflects a growing trend of municipal investment in localized cultural representation over standardized arts programming.

Residents can look forward to new community workshops and poetry-related events led by the incoming laureate starting in 2027. This transition ensures continued access to arts programming that emphasizes the local community experience.

The takeaway

The laureate program serves as a tangible investment in the artistic health of the community. Residents should watch for upcoming workshops and events that offer ways to engage with the new poet starting next year.

What happens next

Finalists will present their poetry and plans to a selection panel in October 2026, followed by the official announcement of the new laureate and the release of Donovan Livingston's Talk of the Town: Chapel Hill Mixtape in November 2026.