What Does Our Poet Laureate Do?

  • Works with School of Education and Child Development staff and administration on what would serve them best.
  • Creates opportunities to present via Internet to students in schools beyond our area, such as Kansas City and St. Louis.
  • Speaks to Drury senior or graduate classes about the field of children’s literature in general and poetry in particular.
  • Annually visits students at three Springfield (area) schools.
  • Co-hosts an on-campus workshop for teachers who want to introduce poetry in their classrooms.
  • Co-hosts an open mike poetry event for Drury students.
  • Co-hosts a program featuring Drury students on KSMU during National Poetry Month in April.
  • Writes articles for the paper about the importance of poetry at home and in the classroom.
  • Is interviewed in 417 Magazine on the role of a university poet laureate.
  • Meets with Springfield Public School leaders on how Drury’s poet laureate can help them.
  • Meets with leaders of state teaching and librarian associations on how Drury’s poet laureate can help them.
  • Considers how Missouri’s state poet laureate and Drury’s poet laureate might work together in some way.