DENVER — Crisosto Apache was recently named Colorado's newest Poet Laureate and on Tuesday, Denver7 anchor Shannon Ogden got the chance to speak with them.
Apache, who identifies as two-spirit (a term coined by Indigenous communities to identify tribe members who fall outside Western conceptions of the gender binary), is the state's 11th poet laureate and the first Indigenous person in Colorado to hold this position.
Apache, a member of the Mescalero Apache, Chiricahua Apache and Diné (Navajo) tribes, is the author of the poetry collections “GENESIS,” “Ghostword,” as well as the winner of the Betty Berzon Emerging Writers Award, and finalist for the Colorado Authors League in Poetry. Apache is also an Editor-at-large for Offing Magazine.
Apache lives in Lakewood and is an associate professor at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.
Apache's literary work deals with family and cultural identity, among other themes.
State
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announces the state's newest poet laureate Wednesday
Ogden asked Apache how they found out that Gov. Jared Polis appointed them to this prestigious position. As it turns out, it was more complicated that you might imagine.
"I was sitting at my table grading and the phone rings and I see the caller ID says 'Jared Polis.' I didn't think anything of it because I thought it was like a political call asking for money, so I didn't answer the phone," recalls Apache.
They were named the state's next poet laureate during an announcement ceremony at the Governor's Mansion last Wednesday.
Apache succeeds Andrea Gibson, who was appointed poet laureate in September 2023 and served until their passing on July 14, 2025, following an ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Crisosto Apache will serve as Poet Laureate for two years, acting as the state's ambassador for poetry and the arts, conducting workshops and readings and inspiring interest in poetry.
