The Mobile Arts Council, in partnership with the City of Mobile and the Alabama State Council on the Arts, has selected Charlotte Pence as Mobile’s inaugural 2024-2026 Poet Laureate!
The City of Mobile Poet Laureate will serve as an ambassador for poetry. This is an honorary position, and roles and responsibilities include making local appearances, facilitating public and educational programs, and building advocacy and community through poetry. Each ArtWalk, Charlotte hosts a poetry reading at Sophellia Art Gallery (schedule of performers is below). For other events in town (and around the country), check out her events page.
Areas of Interest:
• Poetic forms
• Merging science and poetry
• Creative nonfiction
• Mental health awareness
• Reducing stigma surrounding sexual abuse
• Moving forward from trauma
“Poetry is a bridge between the known and the unknown. It offers a way to empathize with one another, to celebrate the beauty of this world, and to process its difficulties, too. I am honored to serve as Mobile’s inaugural Poet Laureate so that I can bring poetry and its transformative power to as many people as possible.”
– Charlotte Pence
As Mobile’s poet laureate, Charlotte created a new monthly reading series that is a permanent part of the city’s ArtWalk. This series showcases the powerful diversity of poetic voices that already exist in Mobile and encourages more people to enjoy poetry.
The readings take place at the same time and place (6:30-7:00 at Sophiella Art Gallery located at 111 Dauphin Street next to the Haberdasher). If you would like your group to be considered, please email charlottepence@mac.com. Each group is responsible for finding an emcee, selecting its readers, and spreading the word.
Past readers have included Spoken Word of Mobile, University of South Alabama’s MA Students in Creative Writing, Prism United, Susan Ferguson and Friends, PowerLines Poets, The Dancing Story Lady Deborah Ferguson, Susan Ferguson, Jess Banx, So Bright Crenshaw, Tiffany Pogue, Janet Nodar, Angelica Howard and many others.
2025 Scheduled Art Walk Readings
January ArtWalk: No reading due to weather.
February ArtWalk: No ArtWalk due to Mardi Gras
March 14, 2025: Huggy Bear da Poet
April 11, 2025: Winners of the inaugural SPEAK Poetry Conference hosted by Angelica Howard
May 9, 2025: ArtWalk cancelled due to bad weather.
June 13, 2025: Poets from We Did If First: Poems from Poets of Mobile, Alabama
July 11, 2025: Charlotte Pence and Rebecca Cantor
August 8, 2025: Amy Delcambre
September 12, 2025: Willie Dinish III and Paula Lenor Webb
October 10, 2025: Wayne McNeil
November 14, 2025: Michelle Blake
December 12, 2025: Charlotte Pence’s final reading as Mobile’s Poet Laureate. The new poet laureate will also be announced at this time.
Charlotte Pence 