ABOUT US

                                                    HISTORY

In 2005 five members of the Farmingdale Poetry Group approached the Nassau County Legislature to establish a Nassau County Poet Laureate (NCPL) Law. After lengthy discussions and the passage of a NCPL Law, the Nassau County Legislature declined to handle the selection of a NCPL. 

Therefore, the Nassau County Poet Laureate Society was formed, apart from the Legislature, to establish a Nassau County Poet Laureate for the community of Nassau County and to assure continuity into the future of the Poet Laureate position.  The Nassau County Poet Laureate Society (NCPLS) became a non-profit organization, incorporated by the State of New York in 2011.

Maxwell Corydon Wheat, Jr was unanimously selected by the NCPLS as the first NCPL and was acclaimed by the poetry community on June 24, 2007.  As of 2022, eight Nassau County Poets Laureate have been acclaimed.

Archive records of our Nassau County Poets Laureate are now under the care of the Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University. You are welcome to inquire at Hofstra’s Donald Axinn Library.

Mission

To select and support the Nassau County Poet Laureate, to encourage discovery of the poetic voice, to elevate appreciation for the written word, and to enrich the lives of poets and residents of Nassau County and the greater Long Island community through the art of poetry.