For the first time in its history, Birmingham, Alabama, has a poet laureate.

Salaam Green is an award-winning poet and author whose work has appeared in The Birmingham Times, Alabama Arts Journal, Scalawag, BUST, Feminist Review, Black Youth Project, Elephant Journal, Southern Women’s Review, AL.com, Birmingham Arts Journal and more.

Green began her two-year term as the city’s poet laureate on Jan. 1 and will receive an honorarium of $5,000.

“This is a duty, a privilege, and as a citizen it is a calling to be the people’s poet in a city rich in its foundation of justice and its progression towards unity,” Green said. “As the inaugural poet laureate alongside the noble diverse, inclusive and inter-generational people of the Magic City, we shall emerge towards the inseparably entwined journey of belonging through the healing power of words together.”

Green is founder and director of Literary Healing Arts, a “Road Scholar” for the Alabama Humanities Alliance and a certified trainer for the Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation initiative.

In Birmingham she has worked with a number of organizations including the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Magic City Poetry Festival, the monthlong celebration of poetry founded by Ashley M. Jones, Alabama’s first Black and youngest poet laureate.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced Green’s selection last month at a presentation about his administration’s accomplishments and next steps, part of an update on the city’s strategic plan called The Blueprint.

Woodfin said Green “… has demonstrated a commitment to our arts community through the creation of her literary works, by hosting countless writer workshops as well as teaching our young people the power of the pen.”

Green’s responsibilities as poet laureate will include making local appearances, facilitating public and educational programs, and building advocacy and community through poetry.

Salaam Green (Create Birmingham)

“This is just one of the initiatives that we plan to implement in shining a light on the creatives in our community,” Woodfin said. “I look forward to the poetry, programming and progress that will be born.”

Green was born in Alabama’s Black Belt and raised by a family of educators and her single mother, according to a 2022 profile posted by Momentum, a statewide leadership development program for women.

Interested in writing from a young age, she graduated from the University of Montevallo with an English degree. But after realizing the challenges of earning a living as a writer, returned to school to work in early childhood education.

She worked with babies and toddlers for years, and then pursued a career as an administrator working for the state of Alabama. A divorce and career change, and a bout with depression reignited her passion for writing. In 2016

she launched Literary Healing Arts to help other women fighting depression and personal adversity through writing.

“Birmingham’s literary community deserves to be recognized and celebrated,” said

Meghann Bridgeman, president and CEO of Create Birmingham, which worked with the city and the Alabama State Council on the Arts to oversee the poet laureate competition. The Council on the Arts is also supporting an initiative in Mobile to name that city’s first poet laureate.

“It was an honor to engage with local poets throughout the application process and we are thrilled to see Ms. Green lead the way as Birmingham’s first-ever poet laureate,” Bridgeman said. “We are grateful to the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the city of Birmingham and the Birmingham City Council for embracing this initiative.”

Barnett Wright, executive editor of The Birmingham Times, contributed to this story.