Fayetteville's Poet Laureate

Miller Williams Honored
At Town Hall Meeting

Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan (left) and Miller Williams

Mayor Lioneld Jordan honored Miller Williams as Fayetteville’s poet laureate of 2011 during a town hall meeting Wednesday, April 20 on the University of Arkansas campus.

Williams is nationally known, helped found the UA Press and served as its director for about 20 years. From the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture: Miller Williams is “one of the foremost American poets of the post-World War II era” and “a key figure in the University’s nationally known programs in creative writing and translation.” President Bill Clinton selected Williams to read “Of History and Hope” at his second inauguration.

From the city’s news release:

Mayor Jordan described Williams as “my friend and teacher,” an accomplished poet, and “a national poetic treasure, a state treasure, and a Fayetteville treasure.” Jordan added, “And, today we honor him as an important part of Fayetteville’s creative fabric.”