Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak this week appointed author and University of Nevada, Reno professor Gailmarie Pahmeier as Nevada Poet Laureate. She will serve a two-year term from September 2021 through August 2023.
The state’s Poet Laureate is tasked with “propagating the art of poetry and encouraging literacy and learning throughout the state,” according to a statement from Nevada Arts Council, which manages the Poet Laureate program.
“The Nevada Arts Council is committed to strengthening creativity in Nevada,” Tony Manfredi, Nevada Arts Council executive director, said. “Our agency is very excited to collaborate with Gailmarie Pahmeier to utilize the power of poetry to help our Nevada communities thrive and prosper.”
Pahmeier has received a number of awards during her career as a creative writing and contemporary literature professor at UNR. She was a 2016 inductee in the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and served as Reno Poet Laureate in 2015.
The author has published two full-length works of poetry: “The Rural Lives of Nice Girls” in 2014 and “The House on Breakaheart Road: Poems” in 2016. She’s also published three short collections of poetry, each with a unifying theme, also known as a chapbook, and been included in a number of literary journals.
Candidates for the role applied in the spring and were narrowed to several finalists who were reviewed by an independent panel. The panel’s recommendations were then sent to the governor for final selection.
Pahmeier will receive a $5,000 grant for each year of her appointment, funded through the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Round Mountain Gold and the Orchard Foundation.
Source: Nevada Arts Council
