SEDONA, Ariz. – The city of Sedona, in collaboration with the Community Library Sedona, launched the first Poet Laureate Program by appointing Gary Every as Sedona’s inaugural Poet Laureate and Anya Blue Lior as Sedona’s inaugural Youth Poet Laureate at the City Council meeting on May 13, 2025. Both will serve as ambassadors for a two-year term, elevating literary education by promoting an appreciation of poetry in the community and inspiring an emerging generation of literary artists within the local schools.
The process of choosing the poet laureates included seven finalists – Every, Lior, Martha Entin, Felicia Elisabeth Grace Foldes, Clint Frakes, Camille LeFevre and Tee Pace – sharing their writing and performance at four venues in the month of April, to coincide with National Poetry Month. Five read for the Poet Laureate position and two for the Youth Poet Laureate position. Each finalist received framed certificates for their work, recognizing their commitment to poetry.
A work group of judges consisted of Nancy Lattanzi, city arts and culture specialist; Judy Poe, Community Library Sedona executive director; Rex Arrasmith, published poet; Christopher Fox Graham, poet and founder of Sedona Poetry Slam; Barbara Whitehorn, city director of finance; Kathy Kinsella, city councilor; and Jessica Williamson, past city councilor. Judges rated the finalists’ individual performances based on a poetry rubric measuring the structure and creativity of written text, as well as delivery and how effective the meaning was conveyed.
Every has been performing poetry in the region for 20 years and is an active participant at the Sedona Poetry Slam. He is an award-winning journalist, teacher, musician and historian. Every has had poetry and fiction published in literary magazines for decades, as well as seven nominations for the Rhysling Award for Science Fiction Poem of the year. For eight years, he hosted the literary reading series, Poetry and Prose Project and currently hosts this program on the radio featuring local authors. Every can be heard every Sunday at 6:30 a.m. on Mellow Mountain Radio at 106.5 and 780 KAZM.
Lior will be entering her junior year at Verde Valley School. She is a lifetime Sedona resident who loves all things creative, especially reading, writing and sharing poetry. She believes everyone should be able to appreciate and enjoy poetry and looks forward to sharing that with the community. Her goal is to give back to the town that raised her and leave her mark before she leaves for college in two years. She believes that sharing her love for poetry with the locals in the town she loves, is the perfect way to do that.
Both Poet Laureates will collaborate and perform public readings throughout the year for community events and ceremonial occasions, provide poetry workshops to local schools, pursue a major literary project emphasizing outreach and education, as well as collaborate with other Arizona Poet Laureates. The Senior Poet Laureate will receive a stipend of $2,000 for their two-year term and the Youth Poet Laureate will receive a scholarship to further their education. Both poets will receive per-diem costs for school outreach and workshops.
Every has already hit the ground running with poetry readings on Mellow Mountain Radio by Arrasmith to be aired June 15 and Pace to be aired June 22. Lior and Foldes will air in July. In addition, he is lining up an Autumn Poetry Series at Tlaquepaque’s Patio de las Campanas on the third Wednesday of the month. The first will be August 20, which Every will host, open and close with his readings and feature guest poets Fox Graham, Nicholas Honshin and Lior.
More information
For more information on the Poet Laureate Program, please visit www.communitylibrarysedona.
