Tucson names poet laureate
Tucson has appointed Logan Phillips as its 2026–2029 poet laureate — a three‑year post that comes with a $15,000 honorarium and a mandate to engage the city’s literary life. The appointment positions Phillips to shape local readings and programs through 2029. (tucsonweekly.com)
His laureateship officially began March 1, 2026. (artsfoundtucson.org)) (artsfoundtucson.org) The appointment was made by the City of Tucson in partnership with the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona and the University of Arizona Poetry Center. (artsfoundtucson.org)) (artsfoundtucson.org) Phillips was chosen from a pool of 21 applicants by a seven‑person selection panel convened by those partner organizations. (tucsonsentinel.com)) (tucsonsentinel.com) He plans to launch the ¡Somos Uno! Poetry & Storytelling Series, a set of multilingual open mics and writing workshops intended for small businesses, libraries and other underused community spaces. (uapress.arizona.edu)) (uapress.arizona.edu) That series is being framed as part of the City of Tucson’s broader ¡Somos Uno! cultural‑heritage strategy, which the city adopted to document and activate local cultural assets. (artsfoundtucson.org)) (artsfoundtucson.org) Phillips is the author of RECKON (University of Arizona Press, 2026) and Sonoran Strange (2015), and he curates the ongoing NoVoGRAFÍAS series. (artsfoundtucson.org)) (artsfoundtucson.org) A bilingual performer, educator and cultural worker, Phillips co‑founded Spoken Futures and the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam and performs as DJ “Dirtyverbs.” (tucsonsentinel.com)) (tucsonsentinel.com) He was previously a finalist for the city laureateship in 2017 and has taught at K‑12 and higher‑education levels while touring as a bilingual performer across the U.S. and Mexico. (tucsonsentinel.com)) (tucsonsentinel.com)
