Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom office. Dryden's successor, Thomas Shadwell, was appointed in 1689 for life. He introduced the custom of producing poems for the new year and the monarch's birthday, which became one of the key duties of the position. After the appointment of William Wordsworth in 1843 the duties settled into an expectation, not requirement, for major court and national occasions. Alfred, Lord Tennyson held the post between November 1850 and October 1892. According to Andrew Motion and Hilary Laurie, Tennyson "gave the poet laureateship new status and significance" with works such as "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington" and
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