Glastonbury’s Poet Laureate

Beginning in 2015, the town’s Poet Laureate has served as an advocate for poetry and promoted the appreciation of and participation in poetry and literary arts activities among Glastonbury’s residents. Serving term of three (3) years, the poet is selected by a panel of local literary professionals and poets along with the Welles-Turner Memorial Library Board members.

Glastonbury’s Fourth Poet Laureate

Calling all poets! Applications are now being accepted for those interested in serving as Glastonbury's Fourth Poet Laureate. As the town’s representative poet, the Poet Laureate serves as an advocate for poetry and promotes appreciation of the participation in poetry and literary arts activities among Glastonbury residents.

The application deadline is April 30, 2024 with panel review of applications in May. Award notification will be in mid-June. This position is an honorary position.

The term of service will be July 1, 2024- June 30, 2027. Applicants must be 18 or older by July 1, 2024 and a legal resident of Glastonbury. Duties include making at least three public presentations each year and fostering public appreciation of poetry in the community.

To apply, send 4-5 original poems, a cover letter, and a resume to Welles-Turner Library Director Amy McCue (amy.mccue@glastonbury-ct.gov) by April 30, 2024. Send paper submissions to Welles-Turner Memorial Library, Attn: Poet Laureate Committee, 2407 Main Street Glastonbury, CT 06033.

Apply today!

Current Poet Laureate – Andrea Barton

Contact: gburypoetry2021@gmail.com

The town council officially appointed Andrea Barton to a three-year term that began in June 2021. An accomplished poet and teacher, her work has been published in The Labletter, The Cleave, Broken Publications (a journal for domestic violence survivors), Connecticut Bards Northwest Poetry Review, and We are Beat (the journal of the National Beat Poetry Foundation) among many others.

Andrea has deep roots in Glastonbury. Her ancestral home is the old Moseley Dairy on Main Street and she has relatives buried in the historic Green Cemetery on Hubbard St. Currently, she resides in Glastonbury with her daughter. Andrea teaches English, including Poetry and Creative Writing classes at RHAM high school in Hebron, and also serves as faculty adviser to the RHAM literary magazine and prepares students for the state and national Poetry Out Loud competition. In her position as Poet Laureate, Andrea will be an ambassador and activist for poetry in the community. Already she has been hard at work developing creative new ideas for promoting poetry to residents of all ages, hoping to find new ways to showcase poetry in town. In her view, poetry can be used to build bridges among individuals from all walks of life. “I want to pull the community together using poetry,” Andrea says. “I see the world through poetry, and think it’s exciting to help others do that too.” So be on the lookout for poetry in unexpected places!

Glastonbury Poet Laureate History

2021 - 2024 – Andrea Barton
2018 - 2021 – Dr. Michael F. Lepore
2015 - 2018 – Alexandra Sergio