MOSCOW Poet Laureate

The Moscow Poet Laureate Program increases awareness of the role that poetry and literature play in the community and creates a record of Moscow’s distinctive character. Not only does the program support the work of excellent poets in the city, but it also invests the public spaces of the city with the beauty of language. Along with offering readings and workshops, the Poet Laureate writes poems for the City that are reflective of local landscapes, social situations, or important events.

The Moscow Poet Laureate Program began in 2015, inspired by the vision of the Moscow Arts Commission and University of Idaho English Professor Alexandra Teague. Since that time, the following poets have offered their literary expertise to this City of Moscow program: Tiffany Midge (2015-2018), Susan Hodgin (2018-2021), and Stacy Boe Miller (2021-2024).

2023_Tiny Poem Workshop

Tiny Poem Workshop
Saturday, February 11 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Make a tiny poem with Moscow Poet Laureate, Stacy Boe Miller! Workshop participants will learn strategies for creating poetry and will go home with a button featuring a poem of their own. This workshop is presented free-of-charge to participants 13 years-of-age or older. 

Register HERE by February 6th.

SAVE THE DATE FOR UPCOMING EVENTS!

Poetry in the Park

Moscow Poet Laureate, Stacy Boe Miller, will host an evening of poetry readings and musical performances by Moscow-area artists. Poetry in the Park will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, 2023. 

Check back for more information here!


Moscow Poet Laureate: Stacy Boe Miller

Woman sitting in front of a white painted house in a yellow sweater.Stacy Boe Miller has been a resident of Moscow for over ten years. She holds an MFA from the University of Idaho. She has both nonfiction and poetry published in several journals, and she teaches poetry workshops annually in several, local schools. Her work is online at www.stacyboemiller.com.

Poems written by Stacy during her term as Moscow Poet Laureate are featured here:

"And They Are"
"Untitled Haiku"

April Poetry Relay 2021

The Moscow Arts Commission and the University of Idaho presented the April Poetry Relay on Thursday, April 15, 2021.

The live-streamed presentation featured poetry by area poets Ron McFarland, Ed Flathers, D’Wayne Hodgin, and Moscow Poet Laureate Susan Hodgin. The event was hosted by poet and University of Idaho professor, Michael McGriff. The evening also featured music from the Palouse Jazz Project, a faculty sextet at the Lionel Hampton School of Music.


Previous Poets Laureate

Susan Hodgin (2018-2021)

Susan Hodgin, a Louisiana native with education degreesImage of Susan Hodgin, City of Moscow Poet Laureate
from Southeastern Louisiana University, is a retired Idaho educator with 35-plus years of teaching experience. She enjoys the friendship of her husband and their two Newfoundlands, an uppity housecat, and a small urban flock of hens (most of the time).  She spends her other hours feeding and watching songbirds, coaching Poetry Out Loud at Moscow High School, and singing with UI Jazz Choir 1. She became Moscow’s second Poet Laureate this past June and looks forward to serving the Moscow Arts Commission and community through June 2021.

Poetry began for her as a classroom exercise, the writing teacher writing.  From there, she found herself reflecting about what she saw in the natural world, a refreshing contrast to her school desk and computer desk at home.  Her poetry is often prompted by an observation, a curiosity, finding a voice to tell a story.

Poems written by Susan during her term as Moscow Poet Laureate are featured here:

"Book Chauffeur Visit"
"First Words"
"Tending the Locals at the Moscow Hotel"
"Before Fiberglass"
"But Officer, We Have No Rooster"
"From Soils, a Living Canvas"
"Downsizing, the American Dream"
"The Quilter"
"Roots"
"Taking It All in at East City Park"

Tiffany Midge (2015-2018)

Poet Tiffany Tiffany Midge photo Opens in new windowMidge is the author of The Woman Who Married a Bear, winner of the Kenyon Review Earthworks Prize for Indigenous Poetry. Midge's work has appeared in North American Review, The Raven Chronicles, Florida Review, South Dakota Review, Shenandoah, Poetry Northwest and the online journals No Tell Motel and Drunken Boat. 

Midge earned an MFA from the University of Idaho and is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. She is of Hunkpapa Sioux and German ancestry, and grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives now.

Poems written by Tiffany during her term as Moscow Poet Laureate are featured here:  

"First Flight"
"Gift"
"Night Caller"
"Origin Story"
"Planting Tulips the First Autumn After Your Death"
"Targets"