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Margaret Rozga Named 2019-20 Wisconsin Poet Laureate

The Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission has selected Margaret “Peggy” Rozga of Milwaukee to serve as the Wisconsin Poet Laureate for 2019-20. The state’s poet laureate plays a crucial role in keeping the arts accessible and vital to all age groups, and the individual acts as a statewide emissary for poetry and creativity.

“Peggy Rozga is an exceptional poet,” said Ronnie Hess, chair of the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission. “She is beautifully at ease describing the ordinary, essential parts of our lives — home, family, food, nature. But she is also a poet who digs deep, searching for the truth, revealing stories about the poor, the dispossessed, the forgotten.”

Speaking about her selection as Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Rozga said, “I am honored to be named as Wisconsin’s poet laureate for 2019-20. I love the vibrant community of poetry readers and writers in Wisconsin. In the spirit and with the enthusiasm of past poets laureate, I want to continue helping this community grow. Poets who write from a deeply felt sense of what enriches our lives make these qualities palpable for all of us. I look forward to sharing and extending this love of poetry throughout Wisconsin.”

The other finalists for the 2019-20 Wisconsin Poet Laureate position were B.J. Best of West Bend and Estella Lauter of Fish Creek. “You can imagine it wasn’t easy choosing just one from among the three finalists,” said Hess. “Wisconsin is indeed lucky to have such talented, committed poets.”

For more information, visit wisconsinpoetlaureate.org.