DENVER — Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced, on Wednesday, the state's newest poet laureate.
“Colorado’s Poet Laureate is our statewide ambassador of the arts, inspiring and uplifting the next generation of artists and poets in our state," Gov. Polis said Wednesday.
Crisosto Apache will serve as the state's poet laureate for the next two years to honor the 250th anniversary of the United States, and the 150th anniversary of Colorado's statehood.
Apache is an indigenous poet and associate professor at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD), according to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).
"As Colorado reflects on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 150th anniversary of our entrance into the Union, Crisosto Apache’s critical work and inspiring voice will invite all Coloradans to reflect upon our storied histories, contextualize the realities of today and boldly imagine a future where all Coloradans can belong and thrive,” Director of Colorado Creative Industries Josh Blanchard said.
Colorado's poet laureate receives $10,000 annually to cover travel expenses related to public presentations for each term. In 2026, the poet laureate will receive an additional $5,000 for the 250/150 Commemoration work.
Apache succeeds the late Andrea Gibson who was appointed as the state's poet laureate in September 2023 and served until their death in July of 2025 from ovarian cancer.
“I am grateful for Andrea Gibson’s service as our previous Poet Laureate and we posthumously continue to honor Andrea’s artistic influence and unwavering conviction as powerfully shown in the 2026 Oscar nominated film Come See Me in the Good Light,” Gov. Polis said Wednesday.
Colorado is among the first states to have a poet laureate. It began with Alice Polk Hill in 1919.
Related coverage:
- ‘Truly one of a kind’: Gov. Jared Polis mourns passing of Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson
- Celebrating National Poetry Month with Colorado’s poet laureate
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