Jefferson Holland is Annapolis’ next poet laureate, Mayor Gavin Buckley said Wednesday.
Holland, a poet, singer, songwriter and outdoor columnist for the Capital Gazette, was recommended for the position by the Art in Public Places Commission, which oversees the selection, display and maintenance of visual art, as well as the production of performing arts in Annapolis.
“I’m honored to be appointed Poet Laureate of the city I love. I’m eager to share my enthusiasm for the written and spoken word and I can’t wait to see what creative juices we can stir up among the readers and writers of Annapolis,” Holland said in a news release. “This is such an inspirational place, let’s celebrate it together through that delightful art form called poetry.”
Holland’s term as the Annapolis poet laureate begins in November. The honorary position is a one-year term and can be renewed for a second year. The city’s poet laureate is encouraged to foster appreciation of poetry and literature by conducting public readings, workshops and presentations across Annapolis. The poet laureate also receives an annual honorarium of $1,000.
This isn’t Holland’s first time as a poet laureate, though. In 1995, he was appointed Eastport Poet Laureate by former Annapolis Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins.
“I’ve known Jeff for years, and I was pleasantly surprised to see he had applied and been recommended for appointment by AIPPC,” Buckley said in the release. “He has a uniquely Annapolis view of the world, which he has regularly shared through his writing about the people and places around Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.”
As the former director of the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Holland also helped champion an Annapolis tradition — burning socks on the spring equinox. His poem “Ode to the Sock Burners” has been read at previous sock-burning events.
Holland will be introduced at the Nov. 12 Annapolis City Council meeting.
“Jeff Holland, already well-known to many in the city as a songwriter, essayist, and poet, brings a sense of joy and play to his work that makes him perfect for the role of poet laureate,” said Lyn Farrow, chair of the Art in Public Places Commission.
Holland will assume the honorary role from Maggie Benshaw, a creative writing teacher at Annapolis High School who held the position from 2021 to 2023. Naval Academy English professor Temple Cone was appointed as the city’s first poet laureate in 2018.
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