City of Green Bay
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Green Bay has announced its first Poet Laureate.
Miriam Brabham will serve a two-year term from January 2026 through December 2027, marking a milestone in the city’s commitment to arts, culture, and community engagement.
Brabham was selected among five finalists by a panel comprised of the GBPAC, Nakeysha Roberts Washington, owner and creative Director of Genre: Urban Arts, and Amy Mazzariello, owner of Lion’s Mouth Bookstore.
As Poet Laureate, Brabham will serve as an advocate and ambassador for poetry in Green Bay, producing original work inspired by the city, presenting poetry at civic events, and leading a two-year public poetry initiative.
At the center of Brabham’s public project is Poetry in Motion: The Voices of Green Bay, a community-driven project designed to bring poetry into everyday spaces and reflect the collective stories of Green Bay residents. The initiative includes partnerships with the Brown County Public Library, Oneida Community Library, Lion’s Mouth Bookstore, and the Green Bay Area Public School District. Programming will feature free public workshops, poetry circles, author talks, open mics, school-based residencies, and youth showcases. An emphasis will be placed on youth engagement through Young Voices Rising, a rotating school residency, and Young Ink of Green Bay, a youth poetry anthology created in collaboration with local schools and libraries.
“I believe that now more than ever, we need to be connected—to see ourselves and our experiences reflected and refracted in spaces we share,” said Brabham. “Poetry can be a bridge across age, gender, religion, ethnicity, and identity itself.”
In the first year, participants across the city will help create collective poems during workshops. These writings will be woven into an original poem, Green and Gifted, which will serve as the foundation for a community-inspired mural created in Year Two with local visual artists. Residents will be invited to participate in painting the mural, ensuring the artwork reflects shared authorship and civic pride. The project will culminate in a public mural unveiling and community celebration featuring youth readings and performances.
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