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Committee advances resolution to designate Marlene Edwards Tidwell Tennessee poet laureate
Summary
The House Naming and Designating Committee voted to advance SJR0593 to State and Local Government, recommending that Marlene Edwards Tidwell be designated Tennessee poet laureate. Representative Jones asked about an existing living poet laureate and whether 'emerita' status had been considered.
On March 23, 2026, the House Naming and Designating Committee advanced SJR0593, a resolution to designate Marlene Edwards Tidwell as poet laureate of Tennessee, by a committee vote of 7 ayes, 0 nos and 1 present not voting.
The bill’s sponsor, a committee lawmaker, introduced Tidwell by citing her book Nature Scenes and noting that Tidwell’s poem "My Beloved Tennessee" was designated by the 112th General Assembly in 2021 as an official state poem. The sponsor said the resolution would "designate Marlene Edwards Tidwell as poet laureate of Tennessee." The sponsor later summarized the bill by saying, "So I think you could have more than 1," in reply to questions about emerita status.
Representative Jones questioned the sponsor about an existing, living poet laureate — identified in the discussion as Margaret Catherine Vaughn — noting that Ms. Vaughn is 87 years old, lives in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and has been described in the hearing as having held the poet-laureate role since 1995. Jones asked whether the committee had considered honoring the existing poet laureate with emerita status or consulted her before advancing a new designation.
The sponsor replied that their reading of "emerita" was that it denotes a retired holder of a position and that the language they consulted did not require the honoree to have held the title previously; the sponsor reiterated that Tidwell’s prior legislative recognition in 2021 was part of the rationale for the current designation. After discussion, the clerk opened the vote and reported the committee tally: 7 ayes, 0 nos, 1 present not voting. The committee recommendation was recorded as a positive recommendation to the State and Local Government committee.
The committee took no further action on amendments or procedural changes and adjourned the meeting "subject to the call of the chair." The measure now proceeds to the State and Local Government committee for further consideration.
