“A poet is a witness who imagines, and through these acts gives us permission to do the same. For the times we’re in, we must be powerfully imaginative,” Anis Mojgani, Oregon’s 10th Poet Laureate, said.

Mojgani is giving Harney County a taste of his boundless imagination with two appearances. First, on Saturday evening, March 18, there will be a public event at the Historic Central Hotel, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Then, on Monday, March 20, Mojgani will address an assembly of Burns High School and Hines Middle School students, at the high school, at 9 a.m.

Mojgani, who resides in Portland, first called Oregon home in 2004. Celebrated poet and internationally renowned Slam Poetry Champion, he is the author of several books of poetry, including Songs from Under the River, The Pocketknife Bible, and In the Pockets of Small Gods.

Mojgani’s work has appeared on HBO, National Public Radio, and in the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day series. His performances include the United Nations, the House of Blues, hundreds of universities across the U.S., and international festivals. He has taught for Portland’s Writers-in-the-Schools, and you can find him again this year at Wallow County’s famous FISHTRAP Writers Conference.

The Academy of American Poets recently began a Poets Laureate Fellowship program, honoring a selection of Poets Laureate Fellows with substantial funding to “center poetry in their engagement with communities…from urban to rural counties.” Mojgani was one of 81 poets chosen nationwide.

Oregon’s Poets Laureate are tasked with fostering the art of poetry, encouraging literacy and learning, addressing issues central to the humanities and heritage, and in general reflecting on public life in our state.

Originating in 1921 with Edwin Charles Markham, Oregon Poets Laureate since the 1970s include William Stafford, Lawson Inada, Paulann Petersen, Peter Sears, Elizabeth Woody, and Kim Stafford. The Writers Guild of Harney County has hosted Paulann Petersen and Kim Stafford, and has often held poetry readings to participate in the January birthday parties given nationwide in honor of the late William Stafford.

The Poet Laureate program is funded by the Oregon Cultural Trust and administered by its partner, Oregon Humanities, whose purpose is to connect Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities.

The Writers Guild considers it a privilege and takes great pride in hosting these remarkable poets, who visit our frontier county with the treasure of their poetry.

For more information about the public event, call or text Kate Marsh at 360-301-2236. If you have questions about the school assembly, contact dianabanks@hcsd3.k12.or.us.