Liza Wolff-Francis has been selected as Carrboro’s new Poet Laureate, a unanimous selection by the Carrboro Arts Committee.
Liza Wolff-Francis is an award-winning poet and writer whose work has been featured in publications and exhibits across the country. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and considers herself an eco-poet.
“I write poetry with different themes, but much of my recent poetry is focused on the environment with an encouraging note to rescue our planet and ourselves from climate change,” she said.
Her poetry has been published in numerous literary magazines. In the spring of 2022, she won an Honorable Mention in the Mary Ruffin Poole American Heritage Contest for the North Carolina Poetry Society and was published in Pinesong.
Liza Wolff-Francis is a fluent Spanish speaker and has facilitated writing groups in Spanish and English. Her book “Language of Crossing” — poems about the Mexico-U.S. border — was published in 2015. As a social worker, she has worked with Spanish speaking immigrant populations for 20 years. She wrote the play "Border Rising" from interviews with undocumented Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles.
In January 2023, Liza Wolff-Francis will follow Fred Joiner as the Carrboro Poet Laureate.
As Poet Laureate, Liza Wolff-Francis will serve a two-year term and will work to enhance the presence of poetry in the social and civic life of Carrboro. Wolff-Francis will work with the Carrboro Poets Council (a subcommittee of the Arts Committee) and with town staff for the planning of and participation in the West End Poetry Festival (held annually in October) and Carrboro Day, outreach to local schools, and coordinate weekly readings at Town Council meetings. She plans to focus on a theme of hope through writing and self-expression.
Liza Wolff-Francis will be officially introduced as the next Carrboro Poet Laureate at the upcoming West End Poetry Festival at the Carrboro Century Center on Saturday, October 15th. To learn more about the festival, visit http://westendpoetryfestival.org
Liza Wolff-Francis Website: https://writeyourbutterfly.com/
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EDITOR'S NOTE: For a hi-res photo of Liza Wolff-Frances, please contact Town of Carrboro Communication & Engagement at communications@carrboronc.gov