The Poet Laureate Circle named Katie Richards as the 7th Prince William County Poet Laureate at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Saturday.
Richards of Dale City accepted the crown from former poet laureate John Dutton of Manassas, a middle school educator. She will serve in the position until Oct. 2028, representing Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Richards has a BA in English and an MFA in creative writing with a concentration in poetry. She works as an advisor to George Mason University's masters and certificate students.
Her 2024 collection of poetry, "Apple Mind," was named Harbor Edition editor's pick for the publication’s laureate prize that year. Her poetry has been published in numerous poetry reviews since 2018, and she has received several prestigious awards.
Michelle Garcia-King, Poet Laureate from 2022-24, compared Richards’ poetry to that of Mary Oliver, calling it deceptively simplistic, but containing “microscopic specificity” through its precise language. “The images carry the emotion,” Dutton said, reading from Garcia-King's notes, making the poems both “intimate and expansive.”
Organizers praised Richards not only for her poetry but also for her community project proposal to host adaptive poetry events inclusive to the disabled community. “A lot of times people with disabilities don’t show up to community spaces,” said Richards, whose two children, 9 and 7, have different forms of autism.
In an interview after the ceremony, Richards said she wants to foster a culture of “presumed competence."
“My son is nonspeaking, but he does not have a cognitive disability,” she said. Despite being nonspeaking, he comprehends and reads at grade level.
Richards plans to welcome and accommodate people with various disabilities by collaborating with organizations, schools, libraries and churches.
To make poetry more accessible, she intends to incorporate modalities such as the printed word, visual poetry and spelling via adaptive devices. “I want to make sure people aren’t opting themselves out of the arts,” she said, "because people tend to self-exclude."
Laureate Circle Co-Founder and organizer Cathy Hailey said the judges felt it was important to represent people who have traditionally been underrepresented. She is also pleased to have a laureate with an MFA in creative writing.
Richards was selected from among eight nominees, including writers, educators and even a former school board chair.
The eight judges included poets, educators and dignitaries. They evaluated samples of the nominees' poetry and community service proposals without connecting them to the candidates' names.
They met at the Manassas home of the program's other founder, retired teacher Alice Mergler, who noted deliberations lasted so long that she had to reheat food for her guests.
Hailey who taught creative writing for 35-plus years while the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts was housed at Woodbridge High School, taught Richards as well as nominee Lindsay Mayor.
In addition to having many of her writing students apply for the position, her daughter, Alexandra, was selected as the county’s first poet laureate, sharing the honor with Robert Scott, a Prince William County educator, former principal and author.
Alexandra died in a car accident in 2018, but Hailey kept her memory alive Saturday, reading from Alexandra’s poetry collection “Intrastate Lines.”
The ceremony included an in memoriam honoring circle founding members Joe DeCesare, Paulette Garner and June Forte. Garner and Forte passed away last spring.
The Poet Laureate program would not have existed had Forte not traveled to Ireland, said Hailey. She was inspired by the extent to which the nation honors its poets and suggested the county appoint a poet laureate. At the time, it was unheard of.
Prince William County became the first county in Virginia to elect a poet laureate in 2014. Since then, other counties, including Fairfax and Arlington, followed suit. Throughout the years, county leadership has remained supportive of the program, providing $500 each year towards the poet’s projects.
The ceremony also honored the other seven nominees. Those in attendance read their original poems about familial love, loss, ancestry and the struggle to maintain universal rights.
The poets were encouraged to apply again and carry out their community projects. They were reminded that Dutton launched “Spilled Ink,” his poetry reading nights in Manassas, around 2015, even as he was not selected as poet laureate that year. Today, the group still meets once a month at Jirani Coffeehouse and holds monthly Zoom meetings.
Mergler further honored Occoquan Supervisor Kenny Boddye for dedicating Oct. 20 Poet Laureate Day in the county, and presented him with a large trophy that is passed every two years to someone who goes above and beyond to help the program.
Public service is often about roads, budgets, schools, housing, public safety, and all the other things we understandably spend a lot of time talking about,” said Boydde on his Facebook page. “A community also needs art and storytellers. It needs spaces where people can wrestle with joy, grief, identity, history, injustice, beauty, and everything else that makes us human. Poetry can do that in a way few other artforms can.”
Mergler agreed, summing it up succinctly. “Poetry holds its own in this county, much like choir, ballet and so forth."
MORE ABOUT THE POET LAUREATE
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Nominee Michele Evans, an English teacher at Broad Run High School, reads from her poetry collection "Februaries."
Lindsey Mayer, a former creative writing student, now teaches at Hylton High School.
Brianna Underwood is a recent graduate of nursing school.
Desiree Smith reads a poem in spoken word style.
Brian Donnell James of the City of Manassas is a writer and public speaker.
Katie Richards, Dale City - Senior Graduate Coordinator, George Mason University; Poems: “This Garden” “Heart, Nerve, Anatomy” “Constellations" Book: “The Apple Mind" Online: Katie-Richards.com
POET LAUREATE NOMINEES
Desiree Smith, Manassas City - Teacher, Osbourn High School; Poems: “Felt Like a Prayer,” “Miracle” and “When is the Last Time you Witnessed a Murder" - Online: Substack.com/@wearewellknown
Brian Donnell James, Manassas City - Poet, novelist, public speaker; Poems: “Men in the South” and “The Sheik" - Online: briandonnelljames.com
Michele Evans, Haymarket - Teacher, Broad Run High School; Poems: “Februaries” Books: “Februaries” and “Purl” - Online: pw.org/directory/writers/michele_evans
Brianna Underwood, Manassas - nursing graduate of Mary Mt. University; Poems: “Confession from the Perspective of a Former Policeman” and “The Wish of Every Fallen Father to be Buried by his Child”
Lindsay Mayer, Dumfries - Teacher, Hylton High School; Poems: “We Hold onto Summer” “Carpet of Wonder” and “What if I Donated My Body to Science?”
Milt Johns, Gainesville - Lawyer, Chairman At-large of the Prince William School Board (2008-15), novelist; Poem: “54 degrees” Books: “Delivery Vehicles” “Fear and Greed” “Patriot Future” - Online: miltjohnsbooks.com
Brittany Anderson, Manassas, business owner, Poem: "Honey-Dew List"
POET LAUREATE JUDGES 2026
Bryanna Altman, Prince William Library Board President
Kenny Boddye, Occoquan Magisterial District Supervisor
John Dutton II - Prince William Poet Laureate (2024-26)
Jae Dyche - Colgan Center for the Fine and Performing Arts creative writing teacher and poet
Michelle-Garcia King - Prince William County Poet Laureate (2022-24)
Marion Martin - Arlington educator, retired
Earnie Porta - Mayor, Town of Occoquan
Facilitator of judges' discussion, Kathy Smaltz - Prince William Poet Laureate (2016-18), Poetry Society of Virginia, president (2026); and Prince William County Schools educator and creative writing teacher
More information on the Poet Laureate Circle can be found at thepoetlaureatecircle.org.
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