Roses are red, Florida is sunny;

Poets are NOT wasting your money.

When I watched the governor’s Jacksonville press conference on wasteful spending in our state, I was shocked to hear Florida’s CFO Blaise Ingoglia mock and deride the poet laureate program in Orlando (“What does Florida CFO consider ‘waste’? $6,000 for Orlando poet laureate,” Oct. 3). He complained that Orlando was paying poets to (dramatic pause) write poems! As Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate (2017-2021), I can assure you that  Ingoglia is not familiar with the job description or the small stipend the City’s poet laureate is paid, which in my term was $3,000 per year.

Editorial: Mockery can’t dim the shine of Orlando’s poet laureate program

The role of poets laureate (yes, that is the correct plural) varies from place to place. Many are strictly volunteer positions, others compensated for their service, which does not involve sitting around asking the muse for inspiration. Poets laureate serve their village, city, county, state or country by providing opportunities for citizens to learn about the age-old art of poetry and to try their hand at it themselves. As former U.S. poet laureate William Stafford observed, writing is one of the great, free, human activities.

In a civil, free society, we celebrate and support the arts, writing being one of the least expensive and most available to all. Mayor Buddy Dyer saw an opportunity to add creative writing to the city’s recognition of the arts, and the laureate program was launched. During my years as laureate, I was able to meet with various groups of writers and would-be writers, celebrate the established poets in our midst with free readings and workshops, work with the city’s students in collaboration with other arts-enhancing groups, such as ArtReach Orlando, and hold poetry contests (Words and Wonders) to give the citizenry a chance to write on a theme and be published on the City’s website. One of my most daunting challenges was to write two poems for an anniversary observance of the Pulse nightclub tragedy, one in honor of the survivors, one for the first responders. I realized once again how sometimes poetry is the only medium to adequately address situation of ineffable sadness. Or joy, for that matter.

My successor, the multitalented Shawn Welcome, has taken the program to new heights, raising the awareness of many styles of poetry, including his specialty, spoken word. He has performed in huge crowds, such as at an Orlando Magic game, and worked with groups of underserved kids. But before all that, Shawn hosted the longest-running open mic poetry series in central Florida for decades, giving literally thousands of residents a meaningful chance at self-expression.

Our poet laureate program is an absolute bargain. It brings light to the wonderful art of creative writing in dozens of ways. As Shawn Welcome finishes his marvelous tenure, I cannot wait to see what our new poet laureate has in store.

Susan Lilley was Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate, serving in the role from 2017 to 2021.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/09/commentary-poets-laureate-bring-visibility-to-the-arts/