11/18/2025
Redhawk and our family of authors couldn't be prouder than at this moment for Scott Owens.
Congrats, Scott Owens, and well done, City of Hickory, NC - Government
The City of Hickory Library Advisory Board is proud to announce the first Poet Laureate, Scott Owens, to begin his two-year term on Jan. 1, 2026.
Owens, a professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University, is the award-winning poet of more than 20 published collections.
With degrees from Ohio University, UNC Charlotte, and UNC Greensboro, Owens has been recognized by the Academy of American Poets, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, the Next Generation/Indie Lit Awards, the NC Writers Network, the NC Poetry Society, and the Poetry Society of SC.
A longtime Hickory, NC resident, Owens is the co-owner with his wife, Julie, of Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse and Gallery, and has coordinated Poetry Hickory for 19 years.
To celebrate Owens’ selection as Poet Laureate, Hickory Public Library will host a public reception on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Patrick Beaver Memorial Library.
The Poet Laureate Program is designed to celebrate the rich culture of Hickory and Catawba County, while fostering artistic expression and community engagement.
Owens’ duties as Poet Laureate will include participating in public readings, leading outreach programs, and speaking at holiday events and community gatherings. He will serve a two-year term to end in 2027.
For more information, visit www.hickorync.gov/hickory-poet-laureate-program.
