New Poet Laureate of North Carolina, Under Fire, Quits

Valerie Macon has resigned as poet laureate of North Carolina, just a week after she was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory, The News & Observer reported. Macon's appointment drew widespread criticism from literary figures and others in North Carolina, many of whom suggested that their Republican governor was trying to get in a dig at poetry by appointing someone who was not qualified for the position. Macon is a state civil servant whose work has been self-published. Further, her website (since removed) claimed incorrectly that she had been a Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet, when in fact she had been in a program to be mentored by a Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet. Past poet laureates in North Carolina have tended to be poets with numerous acclaimed collections (published by presses) and long teaching careers. Among the more detailed critiques of Macon's appointment is this one, in Indy Week.

The governor issued a statement after Macon resigned saying that he was bothered by “the way some in the poetry community have expressed such hostility and condescension toward an individual who has great passion for poetry and our state.”