Carrboro hosts “Poet’s Party” Celebrating Liza Wolff-Francis and Amanda Bennett

On January 10, the Town of Carrboro hosted a Poet’s Party at the Drakeford Library Complex celebrating outgoing Carrboro poet laureate Liza Wolff-Francis and welcoming incoming poet laureate Amanda Bennett.

The event featured a host of local poets who read their work aloud, sometimes accompanied by musician Tre. Charles’s serene melodies on guitar. It was a joyous gathering, punctuated by finger snaps, applause and appreciative “mhm!”s but was not immune to the nation’s sobering current events. 

To open the night’s performances, Mayor Barbara Foushee spoke warmly about Wolff-Francis’ tenure, praising her commitment to the arts in Carrboro. 

Poet after poet took the stage, expressing their gratitude for Wolff-Francis and the positive artistic environment that she fostered across not just Carrboro but throughout the Triangle and the state.

Patrick Herron, Carrboro’s second poet laureate, thanked Wolff-Francis for her workshop series that “[built] a kind of cross-town partnership in poetry.”

“These are really painfully hungry times that we are living in,” Herron said, addressing Wolff-Francis directly. “And you are someone who has nourished this community, nourished our poetry community with your love of craft, your love of sharing the craft, but then also with your joy. Anyone who has met you has experienced your joy.”

Throughout her tenure, Wolff-Francis devoted much of her time towards cultivating a love of poetry among local youth. Each of the three local high school poet laureates dedicated sincere thanks to Wolff-Francis for her mentorship before reading their poetry. As they returned to their seats, Wolff-Francis gave them a tight hug and a letter. 

Rishi Janakiraman, North Carolina Youth Poet Laureate, recalled a workshop that he had hosted for high-schoolers that didn’t attract as many attendees as he had hoped. 

“It was supposed to be a youth workshop with high schoolers, and there were a few, but Liza came as well,” Janakiraman said. “That gesture, it really meant a lot to me. It showed how much she valued youth being involved in poetry and how much she supports young people in poetry.”

As the night drew to a close, Wolff-Francis took the stage. She thanked the community and talked briefly about her next steps–she plans to work on the Period Project, a series of interviews of over 100 people about their periods. 

Wolff-Francis read three poems, one of which she wrote for Carrboro when she and Foushee travelled to Denver to compete for the All-America City Award.

“We are Carrboro, moving forward in community, uplifting everyone, bringing all people in,” Wolff-Francis read. “Tell our story. We are Carrboro in motion.”

The night closed with the new poet laureate Dr. Amanda Bennett taking the stage. Bennett will be the first Black woman to serve as Carrboro’s poet laureate, and plans to use her platform to expand the places where poetry can exist. 

“As poets, we have a responsibility to steward a world in which growth is the standard,” Bennett said. “And emotions are tools of expansion meant to be felt and learned from, not managed or suppressed. So we have to be honest about how we treat one another, not just on stage, but in the quiet, ordinary place where character is born.”