Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Poet Laureate Appointment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Orlando poet laureate Kamara Gaither emphasizes poetry’s role in healing and inclusion
Summary
Kamara Gaither, the City of Orlando’s third poet laureate, described her background in spoken-word performance and social work and said she plans to expand access to poetry—particularly as a therapeutic tool for veterans, survivors of trafficking and at-risk youth.
Kamara Gaither, the City of Orlando’s third poet laureate, outlined how she plans to use the role to broaden access to poetry and to bring literary practices into therapeutic and community settings.
"My name is Kamara Gaither, and I am the city of Orlando's third poet laureate," she said, describing early influences that include a childhood lesson in sensory imagery and the encouragement of an undergraduate poetry professor, Bridal Dawson.
Gaither, who said she works as a therapist with a foundation in social work, described integrating those professional skills with her poetry. She told listeners she uses poetic devices such as metaphor, personification and rhyme as interventions in clinical and group settings to help people approach overwhelming experiences more gently.
She identified several populations she said benefit from that approach, naming "veterans or survivors of trafficking or even at-risk teens" as examples, and said those groups can use poetry to create language and understanding about difficult experiences.
Gaither also emphasized youth engagement and broader arts access, saying that people who do not consider themselves artists still "have these artistic gifts" when given opportunity and space. She recounted bringing her daughter to performances as an example of modeling public artistic participation.
Speaking about Orlando's arts ecosystem, Gaither called it "alive and well," praising collaboration across disciplines and the willingness of nonartists to support and be near art. She framed the poet laureate position as a civic platform for reflecting "the stories and the struggles and the celebrations" of the community and said she is committed to offering more people experiences of poetry.
"Poetry offers us a mirror, a map and a microphone," Gaither said, explaining that poetry can reveal internal truths, guide emotional pathways and provide language that allows people to be witnessed by others.
Gaither did not specify programmatic details or funding sources in these remarks. She focused on goals for outreach, therapeutic use of poetry and expanding participation across Orlando’s communities.
