Justin Hamm of Mexico
is Missouri's new Poet Laureate
Justin Hamm, Missouri Poet Laureate 2025-2027, performing a poem from his book The Inheritance
Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced the appointment of Justin Hamm of Mexico, Missouri, as the Missouri Poet Laureate for 2025-2027.
Mr. Hamm currently serves as the school librarian at Eugene Field Elementary in Mexico. He is the author of five books of poetry and several individual works, which often draw inspiration from Missouri's people and landscapes, and have appeared in journals and anthologies nationwide. In addition to his writing, he is a photographer whose award-winning hybrid poetry and photography exhibit, Midwestern, toured throughout the Midwest between 2018 and 2020. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from MacMurray College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Southern Illinois University.
“I'm deeply honored to be named the next Poet Laureate of Missouri. I look forward to serving the people of this state and repaying poetry for the countless ways it has shaped and steadied my life,” said Mr. Hamm. “For years I've tried to let my poems testify that Missouri is a place rich in story and worthy of literary attention. As Poet Laureate, I hope to uplift the voices of our state's poets higher, and to remind everyday Missourians that poetry isn't some distant art but a living thing—and it belongs to anyone with a heart that yearns for connection.”
The Poet Laureate program, created in 2008 and administered by the Missouri Arts Council, enriches the lives of Missourians by fostering the art of poetry statewide. Through public appearances, readings, workshops, digital and social media, the Poet Laureate helps elevate poetry in schools, communities, and cultural spaces.
Justin Hamm's two-year term as Missouri Poet Laureate begins October 1, 2025, and runs through September 30, 2027. He succeeds David L. Harrison of Springfield, who served from July 2023 through September 2025.
Governor Kehoe selected Justin Hamm from among public nominations reviewed by the Missouri Poet Laureate Committee, composed of previous Poets Laureate David L. Harrison, Maryfrances Wagner, Karen Craigo, Aliki Barnstone, William Trowbridge, and Walter Bargen.