24 LC 112 2436
House Resolution 1547
By: Representatives Campbell of the 35
th
, Willis of the 55
th
, Oliver of the 82
nd
, Anulewicz
of the 42
nd
, and Westbrook of the 163
rd
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and celebrating Chelsea Rathburn as the distinguished Poet Laureate of
1
Georgia; and for other purposes. 2
WHEREAS, Chelsea Rathburn has long been recognized by the citizens of this state for her3
critically acclaimed poetry and creative collections, having been appointed as Poet Laureate4
of the State of Georgia in 2019 and serving as an ambassador for poetry and a champion of5
the literary arts in Georgia; and6
WHEREAS, born in Jacksonville and raised in Miami, Florida, Chelsea Rathburn has deep7
roots in the State of Georgia, where her mother's family has lived since the 1830s; and8
WHEREAS, Rathburn holds a B.A. from Florida State University and an M.F.A. from the9
University of Arkansas. Rathburn moved to Young Harris from Decatur, Georgia, where she10
taught poetry workshops at Emory University and chaired the poetry track for the Decatur11
Book Festival; and12
WHEREAS, Chelsea Rathburn now lives in Young Harris, Georgia, with her husband, the13
poet James Davis May, and their daughter; Chelsea Rathburn is currently an associate14
professor of English-Creative Writing at Mercer University; and15
H. R. 1547
- 1 - 24 LC 112 2436
WHEREAS, the position of Georgia's Poet Laureate was established in 1925. As the state's
16
Poet Laureate, Rathburn is an ambassador for the literary arts in Georgia, championing the17
rich legacy of Georgia's writers both past and present and cultivating new audiences. She also18
judges the Poet Laureate's Prize, an annual state-wide high school contest. In this role,19
Rathburn serves every corner of the state, voicing the value of reading, writing, literacy, and20
storytelling in the lives of every Georgian; and21
WHEREAS, Chelsea Rathburn is the author of three poetry collections, A Raft of Grief22
(2013), The Shifting Line (2005), and Still Life with Mother and Knife (2019), as well as the23
winner of the 2005 Richard Wilbur Award. Her poems have been widely published in the24
nation's top journals, including Poetry, The Atlantic Monthly, the New Republic, The25
Southern Review, New England Review, and Ploughshares, among others, while her prose26
has been published in the nation's most esteemed journals, including Creative Nonfiction and27
Ploughshares. In 2009, she received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts;28
and29
WHEREAS, in 2021, Rathburn received a Poets Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of30
American Poets to implement Georgia Poetry in the Parks, poetry trails featuring poems by31
contemporary Georgia poets, in partnership with the Georgia Center for the Book and the32
DeKalb Library Foundation; and33
WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this34
remarkable, dedicated, and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized.35
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that36
the members of this body recognize and celebrate Chelsea Rathburn as the Poet Laureate of37
H. R. 1547
- 2 - 24 LC 112 2436
Georgia as well as extend to her their most sincere wishes for continued success and
38
happiness.39
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized40
and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to41
Chelsea Rathburn.42
H. R. 1547
- 3 -