SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 869 WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on the Arts has announced the appointment of Jenny Browne as the 2017 State Poet Laureate; and WHEREAS, The Texas State Artist designations are awarded to a select group of individuals to honor the exceptional quality of their work and their outstanding commitment to the arts in Texas; and WHEREAS, A truly worthy recipient of this prestigious distinction, Jenny Browne is the author of three highly regarded volumes of poetry, At Once, The Second Reason, and Dear Stranger; she is the winner of the Cecil Hemley Award from the Poetry Society of America, and she has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the San Antonio Artist Foundation, and the Writers' League of Texas; and WHEREAS, Jenny Browne earned her master's degree in fine arts from the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas, and she teaches creative writing, environmental literature, and women's and gender studies in the English department at Trinity University; during the summer of 2017, she will be the National Park Service Artist-in-Residence at Guadalupe Mountains National Park; and WHEREAS, Widely admired for her immense talent, Jenny Browne has made important contributions to her chosen field of artistic endeavor, and in so doing, she has enriched the cultural vitality of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th Legislature, hereby congratulate Jenny Browne on her selection as the 2017 State Poet Laureate and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for Jenny Browne as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. Menéndez ________________________________ President of the Senate I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 24, 2017. ________________________________ Secretary of the Senate ________________________________ Member, Texas Senate