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CADDO PARISH COMMISSION SELECTS 2025-2028 POET LAUREATE
Caddo Parish, LA – The Caddo Parish Commission has named local artist Crystalyn Whitaker-Nelson as the 2025-2028 Caddo Parish poet laureate.
After an extensive application and review process administered by Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC), the Commission officially selected Crystalyn to serve as the Caddo Parish poet laureate at their regular session meeting on April 17. She was also officially introduced to the Caddo Parish community on May 2 during the opening ceremony of Artbreak, SRAC’s annual celebration of studentart in Caddo Parish.
An accomplished community voice and Caddo Parish native, Whitaker-Nelson has been a poetess since 2010. She is a former certified English and history teacher, and also serves as lyricist and vocalist in the locally acclaimed music group, Tipseythe Band. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northwestern State University, and a Master of Science in Education from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. Her artistic resume includes serving as a juried roster literary artist for SRAC; works such as The Colored Port Saga: Colored FaithWalk; and numerous awards, including the National Leaders of Color fellowship,the 2023 Kallenberg Artist Tower Residency, the 2022 National Endowment for the Arts subgrant recipient; and the 2021 SRAC Literary Fellowship, to name a few.
In her honorary position as poet laureate, Whitaker-Nelson will use her platform to foster a love for poetry throughout Caddo Parish. Over herterm, she will be responsible for commissioning multiple works of poetry highlighting the local community, as well as engaging young citizens in finding their own poetic voices through local events, such as Artbreak, poetry readings and more.
“I am honored to be selected as the Caddo Parish poet laureate,and there is no place I know better than Caddo Parish,” said Whitaker-Nelson. “This position is a profound culmination that allows me the platform to infuse youth and adults with tangible art that is meaningful to all, and I look forward to orchestrating poetry experiences in our communities that need the spirit that only creativity can yield,” said Whitaker-Nelson.
“There is great power in the written word, and there are so many stories worth telling across our Parish,” said Caddo Parish Commission President Stormy Gage-Watts. “We are excited to have someone as talented and passionate as Crystalyn representing our community. We are also appreciative to the Shreveport Regional Arts Council for their support and partnership in the selection process of our Parish’s next poet laureate,” said Gage-Watts.
Poet Laureate Whitaker-Nelson will receive an annual honorarium stipend of $1,500 provided by the Caddo Parish Commission over her three-year term.
For more information on the Caddo Parish poet laureate, visit caddo.gov.
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