For Austin's first poet laureate, Zell Miller III, literacy is a 'great equalizer'

The City of Austin has chosen its first poet laureate: spoken word poet and theater artist Zell Miller III.

“I'm so honored to have this position, to be the first one and to lay the legacy,” Miller said.

Poets laureate are appointed in cities, states and countries to document important cultural moments and events through poetry. They also serve as advocates for literacy and the literary arts.

Miller said he will take an equity-focused approach to promoting literacy in the county by involving diverse groups in writing workshops and events like National Poetry Month.

“I think literacy can be a great equalizer,” he said. “I want to make sure that everybody is represented – every nook and cranny. That includes our elder community that gets ignored; youth; and all of the beautiful races, creeds and colors that help to make the fabric of the beautiful city that we all love.”

Until now, Austin was the only major city in Texas without its own poet laureate. Austin City Council voted last year to establish a program administered by the Austin Public Library in response to a grassroots campaign led by writer KB Brookins.

Miller begins the inaugural position in April and will serve a two-year term.

The new laureate has lived in the Austin area for most of his life, with a career in the local arts scene that spans decades. Miller was voted best local poet in The Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin awards back in 2004 and was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2017.

Miller, who currently resides in Elgin, said his relationship with the City of Austin has influenced his work as a poet and playwright. That includes his most recent one-man show, Chronicles of an Indigenous Offspring.

“That was really a deep exploration into the city that I love,” he said. “Along with the love, there is a deep frustration as well, with gentrification just being this monster that has pushed poor families and families of color to the absolute edges.”

In addition to bringing his spoken word poetry to community events like the Austin Poetry Slam, Miller has toured nationally with the acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni and the poetry collective The Last Poets. He said he favors free verse poetry that breaks traditional form, with a performance style influenced by jazz.

“I don’t know if that's my little rebellious nature – even in my theatrical scripts I don’t use capitalization or punctuation,” he said. “I would hope that, as a poet, people hear vulnerability, my truth, and raw emotion and expression.”

The Library Foundation will hold a celebration in Miller’s honor on April 14 at the Central Library. The reception will include performances by Miller and Brookins, along with Austin Youth Poet Laureate Ella Kim and the 2024 Poet Laureate of Texas, Amanda Johnston.