Tina Cane
Rhode Island State Poet Laureate, 2016 -
"It is an honor to be selected as Rhode Island's Poet Laureate," said Cane. "In schools and communities across the state, poetry can be a significant force for public good and personal growth. During my tenure, I hope every Rhode Islander gets a chance to develop a love of literature, to explore self-expression and to understand that poetry, because it is such a flexible form, truly belongs to everyone."
Rick Benjamin
Rhode Island State Poet Laureate, 2012 - 2016
Photo by Bobbie Hunger from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts website.
"I am honored and humbled to be named Poet Laureate of Rhode Island," Benjamin said. "My deepest wish during my tenure will be to saturate this small state with poetry - in schools, community and assisted living centers, in places where poetry already has a presence and in some other ones where it is desperately needed. I am delighted to accept this position."