Professor Kwame Dawes, a poet with widespread renown, will serve as Jamaica’s next poet laureate. Professor Dawes was deemed the most deserving recipient of the honor following a public nomination procedure and a vote by a seven-member committee chaired by the National Library of Jamaica, according to Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport. And now for his induction as the 2024–2027 Poet Laureate of Jamaica.
Minister Grange stated, “The Poet Laureate of Jamaica is given a three-year tenure with the responsibility of developing and executing a program of activities which support the reading, writing, and promotion of Jamaican poetry.”
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Grange added, “I am pleased with the selection of Professor Dawes. He is deserving of this honor given his years of foundational work and contributions made to the literary landscape of Jamaica. Professor Dawes is a naturalized citizen of Jamaica, having grown up here, and in 2004 was awarded the Musgrave Silver Medal for Literature. In 2022, he was awarded National Honors, the Order of Distinction Commander class.”
Ghanaian-born poet, editor, critic, and musician Kwame Dawes is well-known across the world for his work addressing issues of identity, migration, and the human condition. His accomplishments are multifaceted and include poetry books like City of Bones: A Testament and Progeny of Air, which have won praise from critics for their social insight and poetic nuance. Along with many other volumes of fiction and essays, he is the author of thirty-five books of poetry.
Ten years after Jamaica gained its independence, the National Library of Jamaica is commemorating the Poet Laureate of Jamaica Program. In that period, the library has invested in three Laureates: Professors Mervyn Morris, Lorna Goodison, and Olive Senior.
