WILLIAMSBURG — The City of Williamsburg recently announced the appointment of its inaugural Poet Laureate, Lacroy Nixon, marking the launch of a new program designed to celebrate and elevate the literary arts in the community.
At its April 10 meeting, Williamsburg City Council voted to appoint Nixon to serve a two-year term beginning July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
Under his tenure, the city said Nixon will have the following opportunities:
- Create at least two original works on behalf of the City of Williamsburg
- Present a reading of his original inaugural poem at an event selected by the City
- Work with the Williamsburg Public Art Council to create and execute a project as outlined in the candidate’s application
- Help build networks and opportunities for poets and other literary, performing, and/or visual artists to create and engage new audiences
- Present additional readings at events mutually agreed upon by the City and the WPAC
In his application, Nixon described his proposed project as a citywide youth slam poetry program that culminates in a final competition, the city said.
It added Nixon has demonstrated his commitment to engaging with a younger audience by working with the City’s Human Services Department on youth programming.
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Lacroy Nixon grew up in Williamsburg. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Liberty University in graphic design and currently works as the regional director of teen programming at the YMCA.
Nixon has been writing and performing spoken word poetry for the last eight years and is the founder of Slam Connection, a local slam poetry-based organization that uses poetry as a means for community action.
Nixon also serves on the Executive Board for the Writers Guild of Virginia and is a current member of the Poetry Society of Virginia. He was also an artist with the Hope Booth Movement, an interactive immersive experience that combines art and technology to repurpose old telephone booths to produce messages of hope in a conversational format. The project debuted in London in 2021 and toured 19 cities across the U.S. in 2022.
“For the first time in the 300+ year history of Williamsburg, Virginia, poets and creatives alike will have a voice,” Nixon said.
The WPAC will administer the Williamsburg Poet Laureate Program, which was developed to spotlight the Williamsburg community through a poetic voice that champions the arts as a whole.
