The Metro: Detroit’s new Poet Laureate jessica Care moore shares her plans for the role

Poet Laureates have been a tradition in societies dating back to ancient Greece, providing a way for countries, states and cities to honor and celebrate the power of poetry. 

Detroit has been a part of that tradition since 1981, when Dudley Randall became the city’s first Poet Laureate. Randall was followed by Naomi Long Madgett, who served for nearly two decades until her passing in 2020. As of yesterday, the city officially unveiled the next voice to take up the distinguished mantle.

Detroit’s new Poet Laureate jessica Care moore is a lifelong Detroiter and an award-winning poet. She joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss how she plans on approaching the position.

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It’s a full circle moment for moore with Madgett being one of her mentors, she says. They met when Moore was about 19 years old during workshops at Broadside Press – founded by Randall. 

“This year is a special year, it’s the centennial of my father’s life. He would have been 100 years old in 2024 believe it or not, my daddy was born in 1924,” moore said. “And so I knew that this year was going to be powerful in different ways.”

“I think people don’t see our city as the international city that it is and I want to change that with this position, you know, I wanna have an International Poetry Festival. Because you know, I mean we’re connected to all these movements – civil rights movement. And we’re definitely connected to the literary tradition. Like me, I’m a baby of Broadside Press. I’m the child of Dudley Randall’s work, and I knew who these people were before I moved to New York City. So what made me able to start a press in 1997, was my tutelage here.”

Mentorship is also something she is prioritizing in her new role, moore said. She’ll be doing readings and appearing at other public events, but she says she’s most passionate about helping young people in the city. 

“The things I want to do have to do with younger people, and empowering them,” she said.

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with jessica Care moore, Detroit’s new Poet Laureate. 

More headlines from The Metro on May 1, 2024: 

• The intersection of fashion, love, culture and resilience will be on display at the show “FROCK” on May 9 at the Next Step Studio & Gallery in Ferndale. Jeff Newsom, the gallery’s curator and a long-time artist, joined the show to talk more about the exhibition. All proceeds from “FROCK” will support the Ruth Ellis Center, a nonprofit supporting queer youth in the area. 
• Wayne State University is trying to support young families with the creation of the Social Work Early Childhood Support Clinic in Detroit. The new clinic, in partnership with the school of medicine, is offering specialized training in infant mental health. Carolyn Dayton, associate professor at Wayne State University’s School of Social Work and the clinic’s project director, joined the show to discuss the new clinic and how to promote resilience among parents and infants.
• There are hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care right now, and a lot of them struggle. Andrew Bridge, a children’s rights attorney and advocate who went through the American foster care system himself, joined Created Equal this week to share his critiques of the system with WDET’s Stephen Henderson.
• A new app will help Millennial and Gen Z voters find the candidates that most align with their political concerns. Arabia Simeon, creator of the PoGo app — short for Politics on the Go — spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley about how the app works and why she chose to focus on the needs of younger people during this upcoming election.

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