Salt Lake City has appointed Joel Long, a longtime Rowland Hall teacher, as the city's first Poet Laureate, according to a September 24 report. The appointment marks the launch of a new program by the Salt Lake City Arts Council and the Mayor's Office intended to give poetry an official presence in civic life.
Long was selected by a committee of community representatives, educators, and literary professionals through a competitive review process. The role is a paid, three-year appointment that runs from July 2026 through July 2029, according to saltlakearts.org. To qualify for the position, applicants were required to be Salt Lake City residents with an established record of community engagement and artistic practice in poetry. The application window for the role opened on April 20, 2026, and closed on May 17, 2026.
The responsibilities of the Poet Laureate include writing original civic poems and appearing at various city events. The role also requires giving public readings across all seven of Salt Lake City's council districts and implementing a signature community project designed to connect poetry to local community life. Officials aim to establish a civic tradition that places poetry in public spaces on an ongoing basis.
Long brings significant experience to the role, having taught English and creative writing at Rowland Hall since August 2004. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in poetry from the University of Utah and has been part of Utah's literary community for over 40 years. His previous experience includes serving as president of the City Art Reading Series from 2002 to 2023, during which he organized nearly 600 readings.
A published poet with seven books, Long's works include Winged Insects, which won the 1999 White Pine Poetry Prize, and Lessons in Disappearance, released in 2012. His other published titles include Watershed, Knowing Time By Light, and Chopin's Preludes. His previous honors include the 2009 Salt Lake City Mayor's Award for Literary Arts and the Writers Advocate Award from Writers@Work.
