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Emersonian Laureates Shape Boston’s Poetry Scene

As Porsha Olayiwola, MFA ’22, gave her final reading in the role of Boston Poet Laureate at the Museum of Fine Arts, she sat side-by-side with two other Emersonian laureates.

Since Boston’s Poet Laureate role was established by the city in 2008, all three poets have been Emerson alum or professors. 

On January 23, during The Poet’s Envoi at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Olayiwola, a Writing, Literature & Publshing assistant professor, performed her final reading next to Danielle Legros Georges ’86, who held the role from 2015 to 2019, and Parker Vincent Alva, Boston’s Youth Poet Laureate, who recently participated in the EmersonWRITES pathway program. 

Parker Vincent Alva, Porsha Olayiwola, and Danielle Legros Georges pose for a photo together
Porsha Olayiwola, MFA ’22, and Danielle Legros Georges ’86, at an event honoring Olayiwola at the Musuem of Fine Arts on January 23, 2025. Photo/Annielly Camargo/City of Boston

The late Sam Cornish, who taught literature and creative writing at Emerson from 1982 to 2004, originated the role, and served two terms from 2008 to 2015. He was succeeded by Georges, who worked to redefine what it meant to be a poet during her tenure. 

Former Emerson College professor Sam Cornish reads from his book 'Songs' of Jubilee.'
Former Emerson College professor Sam Cornish was Boston’s first poet laureate

“I can tell when a person has had a poem for a very long time and was wondering about the quality,” said Georges, a Lesley University professor. “And I would find some very beautiful poems brought to me by people who didn’t understand themselves to be poets. That was one of the delightful parts of the role.”

Georges supported the Boston poetry community by offering office hours at the Boston Public Library’s 25 neighborhood branches. She also created a series of workshops at elder care facilities. 

“I think that we all have poems inside of us,” Georges said. “I found that older people have wonderful stories within them, and often they can come out through poetry.”

Both Georges and Olayiwola have worked to bridge the gap between spoken and written poetry—Olayiwola said there is rarely a direct pipeline between winning a spoken word poetry contest and getting a subsequent book deal. She started the Roxbury Poetry Festival in 2021, a series of poetry slams with a publishing deal as the prize. 

“It was an interesting celebratory aspect of poetry, and I think that sometimes poems and poetry don’t really get that glory, that summer shine,” said Olayiwola, author of i shimmer sometimes too. “And the fact that I’m able to draw a connection between publishing and performance poetry, I’m still relishing in that.”

While her time as Laureate has come to a close, Olayiwola’s projects continue to increase the visibility of Boston’s poetry scene. Last fall, she opened Just Book-ish, a literary gathering space, bookstore, and cafe in Boston’s Fields Corner neighborhood. 

Writing, Literature & Publishing Associate Professor Porsha Olayiwola, MFA ’22, orates at the Musuem of Fine Arts on January 23, 2025. Photo/Annielly Camargo/City of Boston

“We’re also interested in humans gathering and telling their stories outside of the context of a book,” Olayiwola said. “We use this ethos that is culturally-curated, radically-influenced, and locally-inspired to really capture everything that we do.”

Georges earned a degree in Communication Studies, and said Emerson fostered a literary community, inspiring a Emersonian representation in Boston’s poetry scene. 

Danielle Legros Georges speaks while at a podium
Danielle Legros Georges ’86 was Boston’s second poet laureate.

“I think Emerson has a great ability to attract literary individuals,” Georges said. 

While Olayiwola’s successor has yet to be announced, she, Georges, Cornish, and Alva have helped to establish Emerson as a pillar in the Boston poetry community. 

“For me, it really just highlights the endless possibility and the role that Emerson has played in propelling literary arts in the city,” Olayiwola said. “But also, that it’s a possibility that Emerson can be doing so much more to really revolutionize the ways in which academia works with community members as it relates specifically to literary arts and WLP.”

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