Katherine Nelson-Born
Poet Laureate of Northwest Florida 2020 - 2023
Katherine Nelson-Born was the eighth Poet Laureate of Northwest Florida, a difficult challenge as she tried to serve as a pillar of the Pensacola poetry community during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This challenge did not stop her, however. With her HOPE focus on the healing powers of poetry, she put all of her effort into bringing people together through the written word.
During her term, two Florida poets were honored with the publication of chapbooks by Emerald Coast Writers. She supervised an intern from the University of West Florida and assisted with student poetry competitions.
Timeline
2020
Induction as Poet Laureate
Nelson-Born is inducted as the eighth Poet Laureate of Northwest Florida mere weeks before the COVID-19 Pandemic would ravage the United States, including the Emerald Coast.
2020
Poem-A-Day
To bring the poetry community together during a time when we were our most apart, Nelson-Born created a digital community around her Poem-A-Day prompts. Not only did these encourage daily writing, but they helped many of our writers stay connected with their community and improve their mental health during this dark time.
2020 - 2023
Building a Community
To further strengthen ties within the Gulf Coast poetry community, Nelson-Born coordinated several poetry contests, haiku contests, and oral haiku competitions. Early in her tenure, these events would be held digitally in compliance with local social distancing laws.
As these restrictions were alleviated, the community was able to quickly come back together through in-person events. This would not have been possible without her efforts.
