Madison, Wisconsin boasts of having been one of the first cities in our nation to have a poet laureate. John Tuschen was appointed by Paul Soglin in 1977. Five poets have served following him including Andrea Musher, Fabu, Sarah Busse, Wendy Vardaman, and Oscar Mireles.

After completing four years of service Mireles will soon pass the torch. On January 20, 2020 Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway will once again appoint the next Madison Poet Laureate.

Any poet that wishes to self-nominate or any organization or member of the community that wishes to nominate a poet for the position of Madison’s next Poet Laureate may submit an application for consideration.

Poets Laureate are selected based on their involvement and commitment to the community, literary excellence and continued pursuit of the craft.

During their service, Poets Laureate generously share their love of poetry with our city, create occasional poems for specific civic events, and they participate in and help sustain poetry programs for the City of Madison.