Missoula Woman Named Montana’s Poet Laureate

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has named Sheryl Noethe  of Missoula as Montana's poet laureate.

Noethe is the author of four books and the artistic director of the Missoula Writing Collaborative. She has won the Missoula Cultural Achievement Award, the William Stafford Prize Best Book of Poetry and the Montana Arts Council Literature Fellowship.

As poet laureate, Noethe will encourage the appreciation of poetry and literature in Montana with readings and presentations across the state.

Schweitzer made the appointment on Tuesday. He said in a letter to Noethe that he was struck by her statement that a few words from an adult can shape a child's idea of who they are and who they can become.

Associated Press