POET LAUREATE PROGRAM
In early 2007 Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the Madison Arts Commission announced (Press Release) Fabu Carter-Briso as Madison's third Poet Laureate. He presented her with a Mayoral Proclamation on January 17th at the MAC Honors Event. Fabu is a gifted writer, a graduate of the U.W. Madison with a Master's in African Languages and Literature and also in Afro-American Studies. She serves the Madison community as both an educator and as a literary artist. She is passionate about the ability of each child to learn and has designed innovative curriculum to strengthen the learning abilities of African American children. As a literary artist, she creates and shares enchanting original, unique stories and poetry, most often from the perspective of women, children and African Americans. She is multicultural in perspective and encourages writing in many languages. This combination of a creative and literary background makes her an exceptional poet or storyteller in residence. She is wildly creative, drawing the best out of students, including special needs students and the gifted and talented.
- John Tuschen - Madison’s 1st Poet Laureate, served from 1977-2001
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Andrea Musher - Madison’s 2nd Poet Laureate, served from 2001-2008
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Fabu Carter-Brisco - Madison’s 3rd Poet Laureate, January 21, 2008 to present
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Poet Laureate Program Resolution
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The John Tuschen Poet Laureate Memorial Fund
Madison proudly boasts that we are one of the first cities in the nation to have a Poet Laureate, reflecting our longstanding poetic tradition and deep historical investment in the literary arts.
Former Mayor Paul Soglin proclaimed John Tuschen Poet Laureate in 1977. After a 23-year reign as Madison’s colorful bard extraordinaire, Tuschen, whose health was in decline, introduced Andrea Musher (PDF) to former Mayor Susan Bauman. Bauman proclaimed Andrea Madison’s second Poet Laureate in 2001. After six years in service to our City, Musher decided to pass the torch to another Madison poet whose contributions to the community warrant the honor of this position, but not before more formally institutionalizing the Poet Laureate program.
Musher believed that when Tuschen selected her and introduced her to former Mayor Bauman, he wanted her to take the position of Poet Laureate to the next level, and that she did. Not only did Musher write occasional poems for the City, as she did for the sesquicentennial (PDF) and the mayoral inauguration for example, she continuously educated the public about the importance of poetry, highlighted the myriad ways poetry enhances our lives, and to continued to increase the visibility of this art form in the artistic community and throughout the City.
In summer of 2007, Ms. Musher met with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Assistant to the Mayor Mario Mendoza, Madison Art Program Administrator Karin Wolf, and the Madison Arts Commission (MAC) about sheltering the position under MAC's umbrella. The Mayor and the Madison Arts Commission were very enthusiastic about both formalizing the position and appointing the next candidate.
On January 8, 2008, the Madison Common Council passed a Resolution formally recognizing the Poet Laureate Program.
Further, Ms. Musher generously established “The John Tuschen Poet Laureate Memorial Fund” through the Madison Community Foundation. When matured, this endowment will offer future Madison Poet Laureates a small honorarium at the beginning of their term that they can use as matching money for grant applications or to fund projects they are interested in accomplishing during their tenure. The Madison Community Foundation will match the first $1000.00 in contributions to this fund.
For more information about the Madison Poet Laureate Program, please contact Karin Wolf, Arts Program Administrator.
From the French “vers d’occasion” (verse of the occasion), a commemorative poem, a poem written for a dedication, birthday, etc.
