Officials Introduce Howard County's Inaugural Poet Laureate

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A singer-songwriter, poet and photographer has been named Howard County's inaugural poet laureate.

In honor of National Poetry Month, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced Truth Thomas as the new poet laureate during the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society’s (HoCoPoLitSo) Nightbird Reading at the 16th annual Blackbird Poetry Festival.

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Washington, D.C., Thomas studied creative writing at Howard University and earned his master of fine arts in poetry from New England College. The founder of Cherry Castle Publishing and creator of the "Skinny" poetry form, his collections include Party of Black, A Day of Presence, Bottle of Life, Speak Water and My TV is Not the Boss of Me. Winner of the 2013 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry, his poems have appeared in more than 150 publications including Callaloo, The Newtowner, New York Quarterly, The Emerson Review, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South and The 100 Best African American Poems. His work focuses largely on matters of race and social justice, both nationally and worldwide. A former writer-in-residence for the HoCoPoLitSo, Thomas currently is a member of the Society’s Advisory Group.

"When I think about the blessing of being Howard County’s inaugural poet laureate, I celebrate most the opportunity to serve others through the arts—to honor the human dignity of all people. That is my literary prayer, to follow in the giant steps of great poets who have preceded me in that quest and—hopefully—leave a loving path for others to follow," Truth said.

Thomas will serve as an ambassador for poetry, literature and the arts and contribute to Howard County’s poetic and literary legacy through public readings and participation in civic events. An honorary two-year position, Thomas will serve in this role from April 2024 through March 2026.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have such an active and vibrant literary arts community in Howard County. From our schools and gathering places, to our energized downtowns and Main Streets, the arts are the heartbeat of our county, breathing life and meaning into our everyday lives. I am thrilled to have the talented, terrific, transformative Truth Thomas serve as Howard County’s very first poet laureate. He brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, passion and creativity to this new role, and I am confident as poet laureate, he will elevate poetry in the consciousness of Howard County residents," Ball said.