Gov. Healey to establish official Massachusetts Poet Laureate, signs executive order

Governor Maura Healey announced an executive order to create an official Massachusetts Poet Laureate and moved to sign the order during an event at the State House, saying the new post will promote poetry, arts education and civic storytelling across the commonwealth.

The announcement, which Healey made with Michael Bobbitt of the Mass Cultural Council at her side, said the poet laureate will help “cultivate a love of poetry and all the skills it develops through reading, writing, seeing, thinking, creating.” Healey said the role is intended to open more opportunities in schools, libraries and community organizations and to support the creative economy.

“The Commonwealth leads the nation in so many ways,” Michael Bobbitt said, speaking for the Mass Cultural Council. “An official poet laureate will build on this legacy using language and creativity to tell stories, evoke emotion, inspire new ideas, and when needed, call us to action.”

In explaining why the state needs a poet laureate, Healey tied the move to cultural history and civic education. She invoked poets from Massachusetts’ past and said the office will “welcome more people to the table, inspiring civic engagement and local vibrancy.” Healey quoted Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” during her remarks.

The governor framed the initiative as linked to broader administration priorities, saying arts and creative work connect to economic development. Healey noted efforts to support housing development and provide grants to entrepreneurs, including “creative entrepreneurs,” as complementary steps to retain and grow the state’s creative workforce.

Michael Bobbitt, speaking for the state arts agency, said the Mass Cultural Council will partner with the Healey‑Driscoll administration, Mass Humanities and other cultural institutions to implement the poet laureate program. He said the council has highlighted Massachusetts’ arts vibrancy in national rankings and that the poet laureate will help bring poetry to “people of all ages in every corner of our state.”

Healey closed by saying she would sign the executive order at the event and asked staff to “bring forward what we need to make this official,” signaling immediate administrative next steps rather than a legislative process.

The announcement did not specify a selection process, term length, budget allocation, or start date for the poet laureate post. Healey named several legislators and cultural partners in her remarks but did not read a formal text of the executive order on the record at the event.

The event combined ceremonial recognition of partners and a formal policy action: announcing and signing an executive order to create the statewide position of poet laureate, with implementation to follow through executive‑branch offices and the state arts agency.