Bucks County Community College has announced Lake Angela of Warrington Township as the 2024 Bucks County Poet Laureate.
Selected from over 50 entries, Angela’s diverse creative portfolio includes poetry, dance choreography, translation, and medieval mysticism.
The annual poet laureate program, now in its 48th year, is the oldest program of its kind in Pennsylvania, supported by the Bucks County Commissioners.
Angela holds a PhD in intersemiotic translation from the University of Texas at Dallas and leads Companyia Lake Angela, a multimedia performance group.
Her winning works are drawn from Scivias Choreomaniae, a project inspired by her experiences as a dance therapist with schizophrenia-spectrum patients.
The poems explore themes of mysticism, advocacy, and associative thinking, which showcases the expressive potential of poetic language.
Angela’s winning poetry has appeared in esteemed journals such as Seneca Review and Poetry Salzburg Review. Her books include Organblooms and Words for the Dead.
As a poet laureate, she plans to offer workshops that mix poetry with dance, which will reflect her passion for connecting movement and language.
The selection panel, which included poets Thomas Devaney and Kasey Jueds, praised the high quality of this year’s submissions.
Runners-up included Robbin Farr, Madeline Marriott, and Judith Adams Lagana.
Angela shared her work alongside 2023 Poet Laureate Tara Tamburello and the runners-up on November 16 at Bucks County Community College’s Tyler Hall.
The poet laureate program showcases Bucks County’s rich literary heritage, fueled by the inspiring work of past laureates.
Dr. Ethel Rackin, the program’s director, sees this as part of the college’s dedication to fostering creativity and learning in the community.
