WT’s Texas Poets’ Corner to Host 2024 Texas Poet Laureate

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CANYON, Texas-The current Texas poet laureate will read her works at an upcoming event hosted by West Texas A&M University's Texas Poets' Corner.

Amanda Johnston will read at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 in the Texas Poets' Corner on the second floor of Cornette Library on WT's Canyon campus.

Admission is free.

In addition to reading her own poetry, Johnston will also read a poem by Jenny Lind Porter, the founder of Texas Poets' Corner and a former Texas poet laureate herself.

"Her poems are very cultural and explore the Black experience both positive and negative," said Dr. Patricia Tyrer, WT's Jenny Lind Porter Professor of English. "She's a dynamic poet who is at the beginning of what I see as a long and illustrious career."

Johnston will greet guests at 6:30 p.m., then will stay for a reception following the reading.

Although Johnston was born in East St. Louis, she was raised in Austin. Her published work includes the full-length collection "Another Way to Say Enter" (2017) and two chapbooks, "GUAP" and "Lock & Key."

Blavity named Johnston as one of "13 Black Poets You Should Know," and her work has been shared on a variety of media outlets.

Johnston, who is a member of The Affrilachian Poets, co-founder of Black Poets Speak Out, and Founder of Torch Literary Arts, earned her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at the University of Southern Maine.

Fostering an appreciation for the arts is a key component of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign's new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest's finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men's and women's athletics programs.

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