It is with great joy that I, John C. Mannone, will officially serve a two-year term as Poet Laureate of the City of Oakridge beginning on March 9, 2026.
My vision as poet laureate is to promote poetry activity in the community; to express the beauty of nature with words; to show that, like laughter is good medicine, poetry can be a healing salve for loss and grief; and to dispel the myth that poetry is not accessible for the average person. These visions will be realized by my
- working with local schools: poetry in the classroom, coordinating with art students for an ekphrastic project
- judging a poetry contest for various grade categories (Middle School, 9th/10th grade, 11th/12th grade) in the second year of my tenure (perhaps in conjunction with the above)
- offering generative and craft workshops for the community (including nature writing via nature hikes and night sky observing), and a time for sharing e.g., in the library, arboretum, ORICL, Senior citizen center, Children’s Museum, Roane State Community College, etc., at least three times a year
- hosting open mics/slamfests so the public can share (twice per year, depending on interest)
- leading a gathering of past Oak Ridge poet laureates for a reading/panel discussion
- coordinating with comforting the senior citizen community in assisted living (e.g., The Glen and The Groves at Oak Ridge)