Regie Gibson, Inaugural Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, will read from his poetry at WPI on April 9 at 6:30 pm, as our featured poet for Gordon Library's second annual Olive Higgins Prouty Poetry Celebration.
Gibson teaches courses on performance and spoken word poetry at Berklee College of Music in Boston, as well as teaching poetry courses at Clark University. Gibson also serves as the Co-Artistic Director of Pedagogy at the Arts for Social Cohesion, and holds a master's in fine arts in Poetry from New England College.
As described in the announcement of his appointment as Poet Laureate, "his poems for public occasions engage complex historical and social issues, inviting audiences into the dialogue with hope and often humor. He is intentional about using poetry to create common ground and foster social cohesion."
Gibson's reading at WPI will take place "in the round" in the Hagglund Room on the second floor of the Rubin Campus Center at WPI. Light refreshments will be provided at the event, welcoming all students, faculty, staff, and friends from Worcester's vibrant poetry community.
Gibson's Worcester reading has been organized in partnership with WPI Humanities faculty Jim Cocola and Kris Boudreau, the Worcester County Poetry Association and the Clemente Course in the Humanities.
Regie Gibson has also composed a long poem for the 250th year of our national history, "Massachusetts: A Song of Itself," that will be performed on April 18 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, together with a group of musicians, who will lead "the audience on a journey from the early days of the English settlers interaction with the indigenous native peoples, to the introduction of slavery, the formation of the Commonwealth, and ultimately the revolution itself."
When Gibson was sworn in as our state's first Poet Laureate in May 2025, he chose to be sworn in on a dictionary (Merriam-Webster).
For more event details, see our event information.
Photo credits:
Top image is from Regie Gibson's web site: http://www.regiegibson.com/
Bottom image is from MCC website https://www.mass.gov/orgs/poet-laureate-regie-gibson announcing Gibson's swearing-in by Governor Maura Healey on May 30, 2025, as Massachusetts's first Poet Laureate