Prof. Heather Frankland was proclaimed Silver City and Grant County's sixth Poet Laureate at the Town Council Meeting by Mayor Ladner on May 14, 2024.

The Poet Laureate Program of the Silver City/Grant County area, established in 2011 by the Steering Committee of the Southwest Festival of the Written Word, and endorsed by the Mayor and Town Council of the Town of Silver City, strives to promote a meaningful poetic presence as part of the diverse cultural fabric of our town and region.

This honorary role is awarded to a person who has established a presence in the world of poetry, demonstrated a commitment to the literary art form, and embraces the opportunity to engage in civil discourse.

Objectives

The Objectives of the Poet Laureate Program are to:

Enhance the literary arts presence in the Silver City area.

Create a focal point for the expression of the culture of our region through the literary arts.

Contribute to the continued growth of the individual Poet Laureate.

Raise awareness of the power of poetry and the spoken word.

Provide a forum for cross pollination of art forms.

Celebrate the spirit of the people and the special qualities of our region, especially our cultural blend running back to the Mimbres culture, now expressed in both Spanish and English.

Create, over a period of time, a body of work that expresses and commemorates the life of our region.

Frankland is an assistant professor of English composition at Western New Mexico University, and she is also active in the community organizing poetry events and volunteering with Southwest Word Fiesta.

Originally from Muncie, Indiana, Heather Frankland currently lives in Silver City, NM where she teaches at Western New Mexico University. She holds both a MPH and an MFA from New Mexico State University and a BA from Knox College. She served in the Peace Corps and Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Peru and Panama. Heather finds herself intrigued by landscapes and the role they can play in language, story, and poetry. She has been published in ROAR, Plane Tree Journal, Sin Fronteras Press, Sweet Lit, Slippery Elm Literary Journal, and others. Her first poetry chapbook "Midwest Musings" was published last fall by Finishing Line Press.