Donate to Kenosha-Racine Poet Laureate Program

The Kenosha/Racine Poets Laureate Program, established in 2011, serves to
encourage creative expression and literacy in Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin,
while it celebrates the power and beauty of language. Every two years, the
Program's committee appoints poets to represent the program in their
respective community.

The role of the Poet Laureate is to nurture creative expression among their
community's residents with the potential benefit of helping them to build
self-esteem, improve social skills, increase literacy, process emotions and
feelings, discover a new hobby or life path, tell their personal stories,
collaborate with others, or achieve a deeper level of understanding about
themselves and those around them.

For 2013-15, Jean Preston is the Poet Laureate of Kenosha, and Nick Ramsey
is the Poet Laureate of Racine.  Preston is the Director of the Writing
Center and Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Carthage College.
Ramsey is the host of Grassroots Wednesday's Open Mic & Artist Showcase at
the Racine Arts Council.

The program is aligned with the Kenosha Public Library and Racine Public
Library, who appoint members of their staff to serve on the program's
committee and whose Friends of the Library organizations have provided
funding to help to sustain it. Thanks for your support!  Please make a contribution through
Arts Wisconsin, our fiscal receiver.