Salaam Green is Birmingham’s first Poet Laureate. (The Literary Healing Arts)

Today, the City of Birmingham announced that local poet Salaam Green was appointed the inaugural 2024-2025 City of Birmingham Poet Laureate. Read on to learn more about Birmingham’s first Poet Laureate and her past contributions to poetry and the literary arts within the Birmingham community.

Meet Birmingham’s first Poet Laureate

Salaam Green. (City of Birmingham)

Earlier this year, Birmingham and Mobile were chosen to create an inaugural City Poet Laureate program by the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Funded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Birmingham City Council’s Cultural Arts Committee, the poet laureate role is an honorary position with roles and responsibilities that include:

Making local appearances
Facilitating public and educational programs
Building advocacy and community through poetry
And more

The application for Birmingham’s inaugural poet laureate position opened earlier this year, and required applications to be 18 or older, reside in the City of Birmingham, demonstrate a track record of public presentation of original poetry and be able to attend periodic public events over a two-year term.

“Birmingham’s literary community deserves to be recognized and celebrated. It was an honor to engage with local poets throughout the application process and we are thrilled to see Ms. Green lead the way as Birmingham’s first-ever poet laureate. We are grateful to the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the City of Birmingham and the Birmingham City Council, for embracing this initiative.”
Meghann Bridgeman, President and CEO, Create Birmingham

After a rigorous nomination and evaluation process, local poet Salaam Green emerged as the ideal candidate for Birmingham’s inaugural Poet Laureate. With over 16 years working as an arts educator, healer and community leader in Birmingham, Green has several accomplishments under her belt, including:

The founder and director of The Literary Healing Arts
A Road Scholar for the Alabama Humanities Alliance
A published author with work featured in the Alabama Arts Journal and the book Peaches the Perfect Poet

“I am thrilled that Salaam Green will be Birmingham’s inaugural poet laureate. She has demonstrated a commitment to our arts community through the creation of her literary works, by hosting countless writer workshops as well as teaching our young people the power of the pen. What better person to lead the way. Supporting and strengthening Birmingham’s arts and culture community has been a commitment of mine since Day One. This is just one of the initiatives that we plan to implement in shining a light on the creatives in our community. I look forward to the poetry, programming and progress that will be born.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin

Green will begin her two-year term in January 2024, and will receive an honorarium of $5,000 over the course of her term.

“It is an honor to accept the inaugural Birmingham Poet Laureate title. This is a duty, a privilege, and as a citizen it is calling to be the people’s poet in a city rich in its foundation of justice and its progression towards unity. As the inaugural Poet Laureate alongside the noble diverse, inclusive, and inter-generational people of the Magic City we shall emerge towards the inseparably entwined journey of belonging through the healing power of words together.”
Salaam Green, Poet Laureate, Birmingham

Are you excited to learn more about the City of Birmingham’s first Poet Laureate? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!