The Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission (WPLC) announced that Brenda Cárdenas is the new Wisconsin Poet Laureate on Monday.
“I am so excited and grateful,” Brenda Cárdenas said in a statement. “I am ready and eager to travel our beautiful state giving readings, workshops, talks, and engaging in projects that celebrate the vitality, mystery, and diversity of poetry and how it calls people together.”
Cárdenas, who was born and raised in Milwaukee and has also lived in Beaver Dam, Appleton, Menasha, and Fond du Lac, will serve a three-year term from Jan. 15, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2027.
A former City of Milwaukee poet laureate, Cárdenas has authored two full-length books: Trace (Red Hen Press) and Boomerang (Bilingual Press). She has also authored or co-authored three chapbooks: Bread of the Earth/The Last Colors, Achiote Seeds/Semillas de Achiote, and From the Tongues of Brick and Stone.
Cárdenas recently retired from a 35-year career teaching creative writing to students at every level from seventh graders to doctoral candidates. From 2007 to 2024 she taught creative writing and U. S. Latino/x Literatures at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
“We are more than thrilled to have Brenda Cárdenas as our new poet laureate,” said Vida Cross, chairperson of WPLC. “Her enthusiasm for poetry is infectious.”
Cárdenas, who earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and a master’s degree of fine arts (MFA) degree in creative writing (poetry) at the University of Michigan, has a special interest in ekphrastic poetry — poetry written in conversation with visual art — which developed from working on collaborative, inter-arts projects with visual artists, musicians/composers, and dancers/choreographers.
The Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission (WPLC) is an unincorporated organization formed to enrich the lives of Wisconsin’s residents by sharing and encouraging poetry via the appointment of a Wisconsin Poet Laureate.
