The Board of Officers of the North Carolina Poetry Society would like to offer our sincere apology to North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green and all of the entrants to the NCPS Poet Laureate competition for the past two years.
NCPS has advertised that this award would be judged by the NC Poet Laureate, but it came to our attention on March 17th, 2024 that NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green has not been asked to serve as final judge of the contest since 2022. We acknowledge this serious omission.
North Carolina is blessed to have a Poet Laureate of the caliber of Jaki Shelton Green. She is a warrior for poetry. Her work with young people is unparalleled. We need her voice in our community and are deeply sorry.
We apologize that there were not structures in place to ensure that protocol was followed.
We also apologize to NC Poet Laureate Emeritus Joseph Bathanti, who has been inadvertently caught up in this situation while trying to help.
As we begin the process of making amends and making sure this never happens again, we will provide transparent communication about the concrete actions we intend to take, and we will increase oversight of our contests so that we can ensure they are handled properly going forward.
The Poet Laureate Award results from 2022-2024 have been rescinded. The Adult Contest Director did not conduct the contest in accordance with NCPS By-laws nor as presented to the public for 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The Poet Laureate Award is judged by the current NC Poet Laureate, and the contest was advertised and promoted as such, but NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green was not given the opportunity to serve as final judge. Instead, Poet Laureate Emeritus Joseph Bathanti was asked to judge all three years. Bathanti and the NCPS Board were under the impression that Poet Laureate Green had been asked and declined, which we have discovered was not the case.
The NCPS Board of Officers take this decision to rescind extremely seriously. We apologize for the damage it has caused everyone involved.
NCPS will offer to refund the entry fees to all that entered the Poet Laureate contests under NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green’s name in the years 2022, 2023, 2024.
A list of the finalists chosen all three years by the preliminary judges will be published in the 2024’s Pinesong. There will be no Poet Laureate Award winner in 2024 Pinesong.
We have asked past finalists to remove NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green’s name if they have listed this award in their bios or in future acknowledgements.
We will examine and revise the NCPS website and publications to edit for consistency and correctness.
We will appoint a representative to oversee all contests, vet judges, and work with the NC Poet Laureate specifically, to ensure a fair time frame for judging and the accuracy of all contests.
NCPS is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is “to foster the study, writing, and publication of poetry; increase, for a diverse audience, an appreciation of poetry; and offer events of poetry and fellowship throughout the state.”
We maintain our efforts to be true to this mission and hope to move forward with added integrity.
Sincerely,
The North Carolina Poetry Society Board of Officers