Lake County welcomes fifth Poet Laureate

Sandra Wade and Mary McMillan

Local writer Mary McMillan is Lake County’s new Poet Laureate. During a recent gathering at the Lake County Arts Council’s Main Street Gallery, departing poet laureate Sandra Wade introduced her successor.

McMillan is the fifth poet to hold the office of poet laureate. The first poet laureate was Jim Lyle, who was followed in turn by James BlueWolf, Carolyn Wing Greenlee and Wade.

McMillan, who has lived in Lake County three years, is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Continuing a tradition begun by her predecessor Wade, she hosts a monthly writers’ group on the first Thursday of the month at the Main Street Gallery.

Our previous poets laureate were involved in judging among poetry submissions. BlueWolf and Greenlee shared during the reading that they were impressed by McMillan’s courage and imagery.

Part of the poet laureate’s responsibility is to raise the profile of poetry both in-county and within the surrounding area.

Two of McMillan’s local projects involve promotion through the local media. McMillan is working with Richard Martin on doing a radio show on local station KPFZ. McMillan also works with Wade and local writer Richard Schmidt to screen work for “Creative Expressions,” a publication of poems and “flash” fiction (700 words or less) that appear in the Lake County Record-Bee.

From the Spring 2008 ArtNotes,
quarterly members’ newsletter of the Lake County Arts Council