Young poet and social justice activist Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, was just 22 when her “The Hill We Climb” launched the literary art back into a major worldwide spotlight with her 2021 Joe Biden inaugural poem. Her now famous words: “If only we’re brave enough to be it. For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it.”

It joined the age-old history of memorable spoken word and honored poets.

In Colorado, those honors go to 11 top poets serving as the state’s poets laureates since 1919 and appointed by the governor. This was one of the first states to officially salute the poets and their works.

The position is honorary and today typically runs for four years, with $10,000 from arts groups for honoraria and travel expenses. An extra $5,000 will help cover more public presentations statewide during the 250/150 commemoration.

Alice Polk Hill became the first Colorado poet laureate in 1919-1921, appointed by Gov. Oliver Shoup. She was active in the Denver community and wrote historical works including “Colorado Pioneers in Picture and Story.” She was the first woman in the Colorado Historical Society and a founder of Denver Woman’s Press Club. Appropriate during this 2026 year of anniversary observances, she wrote this tribute to Colorado entering the Union during the country’s centennial year, 1876:

“Proud of her Statehood, by birthright a peer;
Midst the stars of the Union she shines, the prize;
The crowning glory of the hundredth year.”

Nellie Burget Miller was the state’s longest poet laureate, serving from 1923 to her death in 1952. From Iowa, she came to Colorado Springs in 1908 when she married Dr. Lucas A. Miller. She was very active in the community and held offices in a number of service organizations and women’s clubs locally and in the state and on national levels. In 1943 she was the founder of Colorado Springs Poetry Fellowship, which has no listings after her death. A Nellie Burget Miller collection is in the Women’s History section at Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and includes her work in the Poetry Fellowship as well as poetry and radio scripts, family memorabilia and papers, speeches and publications.

Margaret Clyde Robertson, who wrote under the name Clyde Robertson, had connections to Boulder and Leadville. She was appointed Colorado poet laureate in 1953 when she was 83 years old. Her collection, “1883-1954,” is in the Boulder Library and includes poetry drafts, essays, one-act plays, song lyrics, a novel and scrapbooks of her life and career. Before pursuing writing she sang light opera.

Milford E. Shields, from Durango, was poet laureate from 1954 to 1975, followed by Thomas Hornsby Ferril (1979-1988), a Colorado College graduate, journalist and publisher of Rocky Mountain Herald, 1939 to 1972. For 40 years Ferril was public relations director for Great Western Sugar. Ferril’s papers and poetry are in Denver Public Library and his Downing Street home in Denver is a landmark.

In 1974 the State named John Denver an honorary Colorado poet laureate.

Mary Crow (poet laureate from 1996-2010) is an emeritus professor at Colorado State University who wrote a “Poetic History of Colorado,” saying there are five “basic” areas of Colorado poetry: “Western, Chicano, Beat, performance and experimental.” She is widely published with numerous top awards.

David Mason was Colorado PoetpLaureate from 2010 to 2014. He is professor emeritus at Colorado College and was a longtime co-director of the Colorado College Creative Writing Program.

Joseph (Joe) Hutchison, the award-winning author of 20 poetry collections, was poet laureate from 2014 to 2019. He directs two programs for University of Denver’s College of Professional Studies including Professional Creative Writing. Hutchison’s poetry has appeared in more than 100 journals. As poet laureate he traveled the state for more than 100 poetry and literary events and has taught school classes for Poets in the Schools programs in Colorado and Oregon.

At age 37, Bobby LeFebre was the youngest Colorado poet laureate in 2019 to 2023. He was also the first person of color selected. He co-founded Sacred Voices, formerly Cafe Culture, “a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth literacy through poetry.”

One of the most touching of the Colorado poets laureates was Andrea Gibson (they/them), whose life works had dealt with love, with gender and LGBTQ truths and social justice. But what is their most lasting work was as they took lovers of spoken word along with them as they fought terminal ovarian cancer before their death in Boulder in July 2025. The poet had been Colorado’s poet laureate since 2023 and those riveting words of farewell, from “Love Letter from the Afterlife,” are already symbolic: “I am more here than I ever was before. Dying is the opposite of leaving.”

After Andrea Gibson’s death, Crisosto Apache was chosen to succeed her for two years, with special focus on the America 250-Colorado 150 country/state commemoration. The Indigenous poet Apache is Mescalero Apache, Chiricahua Apache and Diné (Navajo). He is the author of poetry collections “GENESIS” and “Ghostword” and editor-at-large for Offing Magazine. Chosen as the laureate, Apache was quoted: “When a young person finds their voice through a poem, they aren’t just writing—they are building the vision for a more compassionate society and future. I hope my time in this role can serve as a bridge, helping young people discover the voices that will shape our futures.” 

As well as the state poets laureates, many Colorado cities also have their own honored laureates including Colorado Springs, a program coordinated by Penrose Public Library District. The first was Aaron Anstett in 2008, followed by Jim Ciletti 2010-12, Price Strobridge 2012-2014, Janice Gould 2014-16, Susan Peiffer2016-18, and the current Colorado Springs poet laureate Ashley Cornelius.