History in the Making: Massachusetts’ First Poet Laureate Announcement

Massachusetts: A Song of Itself – Revolution and Resilience

by Regie Gibson, Massachusetts Inaugural Poet Laureate
Performed at his swearing-in ceremony, May 31, 2025

There is a song in this land, a melody threaded like marrow
through its prehistoric bones, a song born beneath Pleistocene ice
sheet, etched into glacial lake, scored into every
stone.

Can you hear it? Feel it trill from deposited till and kettle pond, upwell
from each elm and birch, from oak and pine, from black and blue spruce, sugar
maple, sycamore and sassafras? It rises from oak and ash, from every lady fern
and foam flower thriving in forest shade, from each blade of rye, stilt
grass, and bleached beach grass.

Don’t you hear it cantillating from coastline smelling
of Atlantic brine, brimming from its many living waters: the
Merrimack, the Mysatok, the Chicopee, the Neponset, the Monatiquot, the Quinebaug,
the Westfield, the Agwam, and the Assabet? It belts and bellows, resounds, billows,
echoes from Skiff Hill to Mount Everett, from Greylock to Great Blue. It sings to
you.

It sang through the first peoples too: the
Wampanoag, the Nipmuc, the Naumkeag, the Pennacook, the Mahican, the Nauset, the
Pocomtuc, the Abenaki, and yes, the Massachusett—a song older than human
language, ancient as firefly light and hummingbird heartbeat, knitting every piece of this land into every man, woman,
and two-spirit willing to hear it and be claimed by the beauties it brings.

How many have heard it? So many we have neither tongue nor
time to sing, but we do sing—each of us part of
that song, our individual and collective longings, struggles, frustrations, and
triumphs all part of its history, both the readily remembered and the wish to
be forgotten.

We are all the Puritan “thou shalt not” and the round-the-world “heard
shout”—a paradox of patriotic pilgrims’ pride and genocidal guilt, as elevated as
Concordian transcendentalism and as elemental as Salem’s sand and silt. Ours
is both the enslaved, lashed with back lashed back with whip, and the haversack
hanging against the hip of freedom-fighting minutemen.

We are Massachusetts—sometimes easily singing
full-throatedly of liberty, and sometimes wheezing it hoarsely as if dying of thirst, sometimes off-pitch,
sometimes in pitch-perfect voice. We are carols and cacophonies,
chants and strained melodies, hummed and thrummed rhythmically to the drummed snare of history. We are all that song—
sometimes witty ditty, sometimes gritty chant, sometimes pretty ballad or
melismatic rant, singing the truth but singing it
slant.

But always we are that song that plays in the ears, stays in the ears of
this nation like strident fife sounding above the daily din—democracy’s highest
ideals—for we know each generation must continue to fight to realize and make
real.

We are all the song of Massachusetts. Hear us singing from
Norfolk to Suffolk, from Dukes to Essex, from Barnstable to Bristol, Worcester to
Middlesex, Berkshire to Plymouth, Nantucket to Franklin, and from every town and townie, from Hampshire to Hampden.

Any path this nation takes, it’s because we helped to choose it. Any tyranny that
eventually triumphs, it’s because we helped excuse it. Any freedom this nation
loses is because Massachusetts helped to lose it—but that is not in our nature, not in
our nature to lose such needful and precious things, but to put them up,
buckle up, muster up… instead.

Then, once we’ve done, toss our
heads back, fill our lungs with air, and
sing! Sing, Massachusetts, sing!

This poem was performed as part of Regie Gibson’s inaugural ceremony as Massachusetts’ first Poet Laureate at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

A groundbreaking moment for poetry, community, and the creative economy unfolds at the Peabody Essex Museum with the celebration of Massachusetts’ First Poet Laureate.

We were honored to be in the room when history was made. On Saturday, May 31st, at the beautiful Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll announced that Regie Gibson has been selected to serve as Massachusetts’ inaugural Poet Laureate. This is the first in our state’s history.

This wasn’t just a political ceremony; it was a celebration of everything we believe in at Creative Collective. We believe in the power of creativity to build community. Additionally, we emphasize the importance of supporting local artists, and the vital role that cultural organizations play in making our communities more vibrant and inclusive.

A Community Effort That Makes Us Proud

We’re particularly excited that our Creative Collective member Mass Poetry played a central role in making this moment possible. As Daniel Johnson, Executive Director of Mass Poetry, shared during the ceremony: “Mass Poetry applauds Governor Healey for establishing the Massachusetts Poet Laureate post… Her actions reflect the importance and centrality of poetry and literature in the Commonwealth, at a time when poetry readership and engagement has peaked.”

Creative Collective helped Mass Poetry secure access to the stunning venue at the Peabody Essex Museum for their Massachusetts Poetry Festival. This festival launched immediately following the Poet Laureate announcement. This is precisely the kind of behind-the-scenes work we do. We connect our creative community members with the resources and partnerships they need to thrive.

Words That Move Us Forward

Regie Gibson’s swearing-in was deeply personal and profoundly moving. He chose to take his oath on a dictionary given to him by his uncle when he was seven years old—a book he carried across the globe and read cover to cover over three years. As he explained to the audience:

“Words are gateways and palaces of imagination that can lead us from where we find ourselves to where we can go… I also discovered that words do not have meanings—what they have is usage and definition. How we live them gives them meaning, how we walk with them gives them meaning, what we do with them gives them meaning.”

His inaugural poem, “Massachusetts: A Song of Itself,” captured the revolutionary spirit and resilient nature of the state. It wove together its indigenous history, natural beauty, and ongoing commitment to liberty and justice.

Leadership That Champions Creativity

Governor Healey’s words resonated deeply with our mission: “Regie Gibson is a talented poet with a proven commitment to community engagement and a deep appreciation for the history, beauty, and resilience of our state and our people. He sees his poetry as a means of bringing people together. He aims at finding common ground and building stronger communities.”

Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, speaking from her beloved Salem, emphasized the economic impact: “Our administration has been committed to supporting arts and culture across Massachusetts. Today’s announcement is an exciting step toward promoting creative expression from the Berkshires to the Cape. We’re lucky to have Regie Gibson step into this role and work with us to organize public readings across Massachusetts. This will foster a robust creative economy.”

This commitment to the creative economy isn’t just political rhetoric—it’s precisely what we see happening every day in our Creative Collective community.

The Power of Collective Impact

Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council, captured why this moment matters so much: “This groundbreaking appointment by Governor Healey is a triumphant moment for the cultural sector in Massachusetts. It also honors the transformative power of poetry and its place at the heart of civic life.”

Even Salem’s young voices were represented, with Mayor Dominic Pangalo sharing lines from middle schooler Lyanna Galvin’s poem “Sidewalks of Salem”: “Look up there’s hope when you look for it… the unity of people walking here side by side on the sidewalks of beauty, people unified.”

What This Means for Our Creative Community

As Gibson himself noted: “At a time when arts funding is being curtailed and so many civic programs are on the chopping block, I am so gratified to be in a state that believes poetry is not only a worthy endeavor—but a civic good.”

This appointment sends a clear message that Massachusetts values its creative community not just as entertainment, but as essential to our civic life. It is also crucial for our economic vitality and our collective identity.

For Creative Collective, this historic moment reinforces everything we’ve been saying: creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. It builds bridges, creates economic opportunity, and makes our communities more vibrant places to live, work, and dream.

Looking Forward

As our state’s first Poet Laureate, Regie Gibson will work across Massachusetts organizing public readings, composing poetry for ceremonial occasions, and working with schools to advance poetry education. His role perfectly embodies what we see happening in our Creative Collective network every day. Artists serve as community builders, educators, and cultural ambassadors.

Congratulations to Mass Poetry, to Regie Gibson, and to all the organizations that made this historic moment possible. When we support our creative community members, when we help them access the venues and partnerships they need, we champion the economic and social value of the arts—this is what becomes possible.

The future of Massachusetts’s creative economy is bright. We’re proud to be part of making it happen, one connection, and one collaboration at a time. Mass Poetry. 

Creative Collective empowers local creativity and small businesses across Essex County and the North Shore. We’re not just a business program—we’re community builders working to make our region more vibrant, inclusive, and economically strong. Learn more about our membership programs and how we can support your creative work at creativecollectivema.com