SOUTHFIELD — On Feb. 13, Lawrence Technological University welcomed the state’s second-ever poet laureate, Nandi Comer, for a presentation to promote literary arts.
Published February 21, 2024
Comer has held a position as writer-in-residence in the Detroit Public Schools Community District and its community centers. She has also served as the director of the Allied Media Projects Seeds Program and the co-director of Detroit Lit, a program dedicated to developing reading and professional opportunities for narrative-makers of color in Detroit. She has worked as the curriculum developer and youth curriculum consultant for various arts organizations. In 2018, Comer received the William Wiggins Award for Outstanding Teaching at Indiana University.
Before Comer, the poet laureate position had been vacant since 1959, when her predecessor, Edgar A. Guest, passed away. According to the state’s website, Guest was born in England and immigrated to Detroit when he was 10. Guest got a job as a copy boy for the Detroit Free Press in 1895 and worked his way to the news department, where he remained for nearly 65 years. He published his first poem in December 1898. During his lifetime, he published over 20 volumes of poetry and penned over 11,000 poems. In addition to his work at the Free Press, Guest broadcast a weekly radio show on NBC from 1931-1942. In 1952, he was appointed as Michigan’s first poet laureate.
Comer’s term will end in December. Before her term ends, she will work with a team of professional scholars and writers to nominate poets that they think should be the next poet laureate. In addition to helping select the next office holder, she will also work alongside them to mentor them to take on the position for a two-year term starting in 2025. Even though she is halfway through her term, Comer said that there’s a lot to look forward to in 2024, such as a tour with eight stops around the state at libraries, schools and community centers; a laureate project that will also be developed; and the Poetry Out Loud recitation contest for high school age youth.
For more information, visit michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/public/poet-laureate.
To learn more about Comer’s work, visit nandicomer.com.
