Noted Norfolk poet and Professor of English at Old Dominion University, Tim Seibles, was sworn in yesterday as the 19th Poet Laureate of Virginia.
The ceremony was well attended and conducted by Secretary of the Commonwealth, Kelly Thomasson. Distinguished guests included Laureates Emerita of Virginia — Ron Smith and Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Poetry Society of Virginia President — Robert P Arthur, and a host of respected poets from all over the state.
Seibles opened with a piece from legendary Chilean activist and poet, Pablo Neruda, before going on to delight the crowd with an extensive selection of his work from a lifelong career.

AD rates it: Cool Daddi-o. This work swings.
You might like this if: You’re a fan of cool jazz, long summer nights. W.S. Merwin. Stephen Dobyns.
Praise: “The newest collection from one of America’s foremost African-American poets threads the journey from youthful innocence to the whittled-hard awareness of adulthood. Along the way it immerses the reader in palpable moments —the importance of remembering, the complexity of race, and the meaning of true wakefulness” “Crisply comic, disarmingly frank, and aurally bold …” —Publishers Weekly”
Tim Seibles is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently, Fast Animal (Etruscan Press, 2012). He has received honors including an Open Voice Award as well as fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center. A 2012 finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry, he was asked to serve as a judge over last year’s considerations.
Poet Laureates in Virginia are appointed from the Governor from a list selected through an extensive process conducted by the Poetry Society of Virginia. Laureates serve a two year term wherein they travel throughout the state to promote poetry, educate audiences, and highlight the efforts of other Virginian poets.

image: Jeff Hewitt

image: Jeff Hewitt

image: Jeff Hewitt

image: Jeff Hewitt

image: Jeff Hewitt

image: Jeff Hewitt

image: Jeff Hewitt

image: Jeff Hewitt