NEWS

Angelika Brewer, Ogden's poet laureate, has been awarded a $50,000 fellowship from the Academy of American Poets to support public poetry programs in 2024-25.

Brewer, who started her second term as poet laureate in July, is one of 22 fellows nationwide to receive the award.

The Academy's Poet Laureate Fellowship program, supported by the Mellon Foundation, distributes $1.1 million annually to poets laureate in U.S. cities and states.

"I am beyond grateful and amazed by the opportunity," Brewer said. "It is truly an honor to represent Ogden nationally and bring additional literary arts resources to our community."

Brewer plans to digitally expand on the Ogden Ar(t)chives Mailbox, a community historical archival project she created for residents and visitors of Ogden to submit their stories. She will also create new poetry events and projects in the community.

Partnering with Ogden Contemporary Arts and Glass Spider Publishing, she wants to publish youth authors in a book about OCA's Artist Factory program. She hopes to generate funding for OCA "to continue the incredible work they do for the community and arts advocacy, as well as give young poets and artists a chance to be formally published."

The Academy of American Poets awards more than $1.3 million to poets each year. This year, in addition to the 22 fellowships, the academy will provide $90,944 total in matching grants to 11 local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations collaborating with poets laureate on their work.

The organization, which celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2024, produces Poets.org and established and organizes National Poetry Month in April, the Poem-a-Day series, American Poets Magazine, and more.

“I used poets.org as my very first resource when I started becoming interested in my writing career, so it feels surreal to see my name there now alongside such incredible poets and advocates,” Brewer said.

Brewer is a poet, public speaker, teacher, and writer. She has won several Utah-based poetry slams, judged the state Poetry Out Loud Youth Poetry Slam, and established the first Ogden poetry slam team.

The Academy of American Poets was founded in New York City in 1934 by 23-year-old Marie Bullock and became a nonprofit organization in 1936. Its mission is “to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.”

The other 2024 Poet Laureate Fellows announced today are: Julia Bouwsma (Maine), Traci Brimhall (Kansas), Ching-In Chen (Redmond, WA), Kai Coggin (Hot Springs, AR), Nandi Comer (Michigan), Tongo Eisen-Martin (San Francisco, CA), Heid E. Erdrich (Minneapolis, MN), Andrea Gibson (Colorado), Amanda Johnston (Texas), Patricia Spears Jones (New York), Alison Pelegrin (Louisiana), Charlotte Pence (Mobile, AL), Georgia Popoff (Onondaga County, NY), Jean Prokott (Rochester, MN), Joseph Rios (Fresno, CA), Lois Roma-Deeley (Scottsdale, AZ), Emily Schulten (Key West, FL), Tess Taylor (El Cerrito, CA), Arianne True (Washington), Kerri Webster (Idaho), and avery r. young (Chicago, IL).

Poet Laureate of Utah Lisa Bickmore received the award in 2023.

"For 90 years, the Academy of American Poets has honored how poets nourish our spirit through poems, inviting us to reflect and commit to each other," Ricardo Maldonado, President and Executive Director of the Academy, said in a news release. "I am excited to celebrate the work of our Poet Laureate Fellows across the country, elevating civil discourse and reminding us of the true possibility of a shared future."