The City of Durham has appointed Chris Vitiello, also known as the Poetry Fox, as its new poet laureate.
As previously reported by The 10th Street Journal, the poet laureate serves as an ambassador to promote public appreciation of poetry and literature. They are responsible for reading poetry at public events, promoting literature in the community and developing educational opportunities for residents.
The city received 16 applications from local and regional poets. A panel of community members, writers, educators and city staff recommended Vitiello. The Durham Cultural Advisory Board endorsed the recommendation during its June meeting, and Vitiello was officially appointed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
As the Poetry Fox, Vitiello writes custom poems on demand at dozens of events each year (usually wearing a fox costume). He has taught in K-12 schools, university master of fine arts programs and corporate and community settings. He has curated exhibits at the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Carrack and The Fruit.
Vitiello’s three-year tenure as the poet laureate will be themed “Poems Everywhere” and will include free writing workshops, a public reading series and a program that features poems in public spaces.
“How do you connect people to poetry and grow their appreciation for the medium? You write poems right in front of them. You write poems about them, their lives, the people and places and things they love and know and long for,” Vitiello said.
Vitiello is Durham’s second poet laureate, succeeding D.J. Rogers, who served from 2022 to 2024. More information about the poet laureate program is available on the city’s website.
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Photo at top: the Poetry Fox at the Durham Farmer’s Market last year. Photo by Bill Adair — The 9th Street Journal.
