Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology

Begin Where You Are: The Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology is a groundbreaking book featuring poetry from the ten individuals who have served as Colorado Poets Laureate.

The anthology presents an overdue opportunity to compile and publish a comprehensive collection of the laureates' works, including unpublished pieces. 

Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to create an endowment through our nonprofit, Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology. Our mission: enhance equitable access to poetry across the entire state. 

In Colorado, lower income and rural communities have lower access to poetry and the literary arts. As a result, youth and adults in these areas have fewer opportunities to engage from this art form and the benefits of self expression. In fact, there are whole counties where not a single Colorado Poet Laureate has visited in 30 years! 

The Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology will use a revenue-generating social enterprise to raise money to close this access gap. 

Our fundraising goals:
-Enhance and create sustainability for the Poet Laureate program
-Fund poetry events and programs in rural areas of Colorado

-Get poetry events and programs to lower-income schools and libraries that have historically had difficulty accessing them

-Create a collaborative model that other states can emulate

Our friend and anthology collaborator, Andrea Gibson (Laureate 2023-2025) 
Photo courtesy of Meg Falley

This anthology will span over 100 years of Colorado's poetic history. 
Starting with Andrea Gibson, the book will traverse back in time to Alice Polk Hill in 1919. All five contemporary poets laureate (the late Andrea Gibson, Bobby LeFebre, Joseph Hutchinson, David Mason, and Mary Crow) have committed to re-directing their royalties to the development of the Colorado Poets Laureate endowment. 

Poetry remains popular among U.S. readers, and the increasing appointment of poets laureate in cities, towns, and states demonstrates a growing audience. This anthology hopes to pioneer a collaborative approach in honoring poets laureate, setting a precedent for similar projects nationwide. 

The book's development involves a committee comprised of the five contemporary Colorado poets laureate, each accomplished with a substantial literary background and accolades. 

• Andrea Gibson
• Bobby LeFebre
• David Mason
• Joseph Hutchison
• Mary Crow

In collaboration with social entrepreneur Turner Wyatt as the Project Director, the anthology brings together Colorado's best poets for a social mission. 

Bobby LeFebre (Laureate 2019-2023)
Photo by Victor FossenJoseph Hutchison (Laureate 2014-2019)
Photo by Kimberly Anderson 

David Mason (Laureate 2010-2014)
Photo courtesy of David MasonMary Crow (Laureate 1996-2010)
Photo courtesy of Mary Crow

The anthology will highlight the works of the preceding five deceased poets laureate: Thomas Hornsby Ferril, Milford Shields, Clyde Robertson, Nellie Burget Miller, and Alice Polk Hill. 

The editorial committee plans to curate the best poems from these writers, providing readers with a comprehensive view of the poetic legacy from the inception of the Colorado laureateship.

Thomas Hornsby Ferril
(Laureate 1979-1988)
Photo courtesy of Western History Collection, Denver Public Library Milford E. Shields (Laureate 1954) Photo courtesy of Glenn Kiecker via Durango HeraldMargaret Clyde Robertson (Laureate 1952-1954)
Photo courtesy of AllPoets.com

Nellie Burget Miller (Laureate 1923-1952)
Photo courtesy of Colorado Pioneer Springs MuseumAlice Polk Hill (Laureate 1919-1921)
Photo courtesy of Evenings with Colorado Poets

The book's structure includes individual chapters for each laureate, featuring a brief historical and biographical introduction followed by a selection of their poems. 

We'd like to thank our charitable donors and supporters for helping create a lasting legacy in Colorado. Almost three years in the making, we are excited to celebrate the publication in the Winter of 2025!