Gov. Kay Ivey Honors Alabama’s First Black Poet Laureate
Gov. Kay Ivey presents a commendation to the state’s first Black poet laureate, Ashley M. Jones, during a ceremony at the Capitol in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Gov. Kay Ivey is honoring the state’s first Black poet laureate, a creative writing teacher from Birmingham who delves into the pain and difficulty of being Black in America.
Ivey presented a commendation today to 31-year-old Ashley M. Jones. Jones’ most recent book is a collection of poems titled “Reparations Now!” In it, she writes about reparations not just in terms of money but in the fuller sense of rebuilding a society fractured by generations of racial violence, division and prejudice.
Jones says she believes poetry should tell the truth, and she hopes she can spread that message through the new position.
The Alabama Writers Cooperative nominates and selects the state’s Poet Laureate, who serves a four-year term. Jones will begin her term in January.
The current Alabama Poet Laureate is Jennifer Horne.
(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
