We’re thrilled to announce that our Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Pearl Cleage has been named Atlanta’s first-ever Poet Laureate!

From the City of Atlanta’s Facebook Page:

“During the City of Atlanta Government’s 2021 State of the City Address, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom announced that critically acclaimed poet, playwright, and best-selling author Pearl Cleage will serve as the City’s first-ever Poet Laureate! Best known for her novel, “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day” – a New York Times Best Seller and Oprah Winfrey Book Club selection, Cleage will serve as the City of Atlanta’s ambassador for poetry, creative writing, and literary arts. We are excited to have such a talent as the City’s inaugural, official poet.”

Pearl has served as our Distinguished Artist-in-Residence since 2013 and has most recently worked on our animated film, Sit-In, first writing the play based on the book written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, then assisting in the process of transforming it from a play to a film that has been shown on PBA-30. Other notable Alliance plays include: Blues for an Alabama Sky, What I Learned in Paris, and Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous.

Please join us in congratulating Pearl!