Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Prime Minister. The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation that the holder will write verse for significant national occasions. The origins of the laureateship date back to 1616 when a pension was provided to Ben Jonson, but the first official holder of the position was John Dryden, appointed in 1668 by Charles II. On the death of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who held the post between November 1850
Martha's Vineyard Poet Laureate the Martha's Vineyard Poetry Society, various island organizations and libraries have sponsored educational poetry programs, including the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School and island elementary schools; the Nathan Mayhew Seminars; Feathestone Center for the Arts; Martha's Vineyard Poets Collective; Noepe Institute; Martha's Vineyard Writers Residency; Pathways Projects; Alex's Place, and various council on aging and senior centers. The position of West Tisbury Poet Laureate had its genesis with Dionis Coffin Riggs, who founded a poetry group at her ancestral West Tisbury Home circa 1960. This group adopted the name Cleaveland House Poets in late 1990s to honor Dionis' bread and