poet laureate
noun ( plural poets laureate)
In 1999, Andrew Motion was appointed poet laureate of Great Britain for a term of ten years, the first time in British history that the honor was not granted as a lifetime position. In the US, an unofficial poet laureateship has existed since 1937, although the position was not compensated until 1985, when the honorific title “Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress” was changed to “Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry.” The first official American poet laureate was Robert Penn Warren, and since then the post has been filled by such well-known poets as Richard Wilbur, Howard Nemerov, Mark Strand, Robert Hass, and Robert Pinsky. The appointment is for one year only, with the possibility of renewal, and although the official duties are limited to one poetry reading and one public lecture, the poet laureate usually takes it upon himself or herself to promote poetry and to encourage its reading and appreciation