2026-2029 Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate Nominations Open - Deadline: Nov. 15
Launched in 2022 as a collaboration of the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA), the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, and the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, the Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate program promotes and encourages appreciation of poetry and literary life in Hawaiʻi and the poetry community while inspiring an emerging generation of new writers.
The designation of Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate recognizes and honors a Hawaiʻi poet of exceptional talent and accomplishment. They serve a three-year term that includes participating in public events, producing a community-engaged poetry publication, facilitating community poetry workshops on different islands, and organizing readings that also feature other local poets (learn more).
Building on the successful term of current Hawaiʻi Poet Laureate Brandy Nālani McDougall (2023-2025) (photo above at her 2023 inauguration), we are excited to announce the opening of nominations for the third Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate (February 1, 2026 – January 31, 2029). The deadline for the SFCA to receive nomination applications is November 15th, 2025.
Poetry is one of those generous spaces that can give us a better understanding of ourselves. Reading it, writing it can help us connect our intellects and our hearts—revealing another way to see an experience, a belief, a world.
A poem can move us from the simple to the profound, carrying our most deeply held ideas and beliefs made manifest into art—into beauty.
So we invite you to this space for poetry, for surprising ideas, for the phrase that resonates in your bones, for the story that helps you re-see the world. Click on the images below to open a poem, a new world, an unexpected friend, a breath.
The opening of another year summons us to reflect, to imagine, to dream. This moment, or moments, is beautifully captured in “To the New Year” by W. S.Merwin, which you can read by clicking on the image below.
Original photo by Hasan Almasi, Edit by Lyz Soto
In Maʻalaea Harbor, Father’s Day, Brandy Nālani McDougall offers us a glimpse into the ways one family grapples with grief and cherishes the memory of a loved one. You can find out more about this poem in an interview with Brandy HERE. To read the poem click on the image below.
Original photo by Rosa Say, Edit by Lyz Soto
In this excerpt from ʻĀina Hānau, inspired by the Kumulipo, Brandy Nālani McDougall gifts us with a vision of birth and creation. Click on the image below to read the full excerpt.
Original photo by Ryan Parker
In 2021, we did a poetry workshops series facilitated by twelve Hawaiʻi-based poets, as part of the Why It Matters initiative. It was a privilege to watch the ways each workshop expanded into a shared experience between all who took part. Click on the image below to read the lesson plans, which are great for anyone wanting to teach their own workshop, but also great for those of us who need a helping hand to get that next poem started.
Banner Image: Original photo by Matthew Dillon, excerpt from “Haleakalā on Google Maps (Satellite View)” by Brandy Nālani McDougall
