Luisa Igloria, State’s 20th Poet Laureate, Named Newsmaker of the Year by Virginia Professional Communicators

RICHMOND, Va — Luisa Igloria, Virginia’s poet laureate, has been named Virginia Professional Communicators 2022 Newsmaker of the Year, one of the organization’s top honors.

The annual VPC Newsmaker Award is given to a nominee who has made significant news in the past year or throughout their career. Nominees must be from an under-represented group, such as women, minorities, or people with disabilities, or an individual who has served an under-represented group through their vocation.

“Dr. Igloria’s accomplishments in the realm of original research and creativity are equal to and thoroughly supported by her skills as an academic,” said Gail Kent, a longtime member of VPC who nominated Igloria for the Newsmaker award. “She is a thoughtful and compassionate member of the ODU community with a long commitment to diversity and the development of global perspectives—ideals that are needed in an environment where ideals of humanism and critical thought are increasingly challenged,” added Kent.  

A native of the Philippines, Igloria is a creative writing and English professor at Old Dominion University. She was named Virginia’s 20th poet laureate in July of 2020, serving a two-year tenure, and is the fourth person of color to be honored in this distinguished position as an ambassador for poetry for the Commonwealth.

“Finding creative solutions to obstacles or challenges means reaching out and listening to others’ ideas and being willing to work as a collaborator,” said Igloria during an address to VPC membership at the organization’s spring conference on April 30, where she was honored and accepted the 2022 Newsmaker award.

“Every poem carries the seed of a story that’s able to get to the emotional heart of an experience; sometimes even before we grasp the idea of it.”

Luisa Igloria, Virginia’s poet laureate and VPC Newsmaker of the year and

In addition to creative collaboration, Igloria continues a daily personal practice of writing at least one poem each day—a tradition she’s maintained since 2010.

“Every poem carries the seed of a story that’s able to get to the emotional heart of an experience; sometimes even before we grasp the idea of it,” Igloria explained. “I look forward to that part of the day, not rigidly scheduled, when I claim that window of time to sit down and write a poem.”

Igloria has authored 14 books of poetry and four chapbooks. She has won numerous national and international awards for her writing throughout the years, including the James Hearst Poetry Prize, the May Swenson Poetry Prize, the Resurgence Poetry Prize for ecopoetry, the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature and the Crab Orchard Open Competition Award for Poetry.

Igloria credits poetry as an effective tool for social change and encourages its use and implementation in communities where resources for underprivileged youths are often lacking. In the greater Hampton Roads area and beyond, Prof. Igloria enjoys mentorship and professional opportunities, including reading with and among others, sharing feedback, providing workshops, teaching and fostering art in many forms. Visit her website at www.luisaigloria.com for more information about her achievements and work. 

VPC’s Newsmaker award nominees are judged by a committee on the basis of newsworthiness, public service, personal sacrifice, risk-taking, and/or inspiration to others. Only VPC members may nominate candidates for Newsmaker.

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Virginia Professional Communicators, formerly known as Virginia Press Women, is an organization of professional communicators founded in 1958 and affiliated with the National Federation of Press Women.