Saratoga's poet laureate receives fellowship award

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The city's own poet laureate has been announced as an awardee of a prestigious fellowship award. Poet Laureate Joseph Bruchac was spotlighted this week as a recipient of the Poet Laureate Fellowship Award by the Academy of American Poets.

“I feel doubly blessed by this fellowship," said Bruchac. "First by being recognized by the Academy of American Poets, one of our nation's most important voices for poetry; second, and more importantly, by the way its support will enable me to better carry out my role as the first Poet Laureate of Saratoga Springs.”

Bruchac was one of 23 poet laureates chosen across the united states for this year's award. He and his fellow awardees have each received $50,000 for their work in the medium of poetry. Since 2019, the academy has given $5.45 million to 104 poet laureates from around the U.S.

“I want to congratulate the very first poet laureate in Saratoga Springs and in the Capital District," said Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim. "This is a well-deserved honor and I look forward to seeing what projects Joe will develop with this support."

Bruchac's work includes a great deal of writing about Native American peoples and folklore, including the Abenaki people. Two of his notable works include "Dawn Land" and "Long River." He is a founder of the Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, an organization that helps get Native American authors published.