Update: South Dakota Poetry Society gets first choice, Bruce Roseland, for state laureate

Back on July 11, Bluestem posted There once was a gal from Castlewood/ who didn't pick a laureate when she knew she could, which explored Governor Kristi Noem's refusal to approve the  South Dakota State Poetry Society's state poet laureated recommendation.

The poetry society's recommendation is mandated by South Dakota state law.

According to SDPB's Lori Walsh in Politics & Poetry: Why South Dakota doesn’t have a new poet laureate:

. . . Sources close to the story tell SDPB Governor Noem’s office requested poet Joseph Bottum receive the board’s nomination. Bottum is director of the Classics Institute at Dakota State University and author of more than 800 essays, poems, reviews, and short stories. He serves as poetry editor for “The New York Sun.” In 2022 he was commissioned to write the Phi Beta Kappa poem for Princeton University. He lives in Hot Springs. Bottum applied for the position but did not receive votes from board members after being interviewed as a finalist. . . .

In short, a right-wing ideologue over a gifted rancher poet.

But good news! Walsh reported on Monday afternoon in South Dakota Poetry Society gets first choice for laureate:

South Dakota has a new Poet Laureate, and he’s the one the state's poetry society wanted all along.

Bruce Roseland is a rancher and poet from Seneca. His first book, "The Last Buffalo" won the 2006 Wrangler Award for "Excellence in Western Literature & Media, Poetry."
Roseland has won the Will Rogers Medallion Award in poetry three times.

"It’s an honor to stand among those who have come before me,” Roseland said. “There are many people in South Dakota who write as well as I do and most of them write better. To represent South Dakota in this form of writing poetry … I’m very happy about it. I hope to be an ambassador.”

“Bruce will be an excellent ambassador for poetry in South Dakota,” said interim South Dakota State Poetry Society President Dana Yost. “And it is good for the state to have a poet laureate — it’s an important position not only for poetry but culturally in the state."

Roseland was the South Dakota State Poetry Society’s first nominee for the office. His nomination was originally rejected by the governor’s office.

The appointment announcement comes nearly two months after the standard July 1 beginning of the poet laureate’s term. . . .

It certainly seemed an odd hill for the governor to battle over, and Bluestem is pleased she's gotten over this particular nitwitticism. 

Photo: South Dakota Poet Laureate Bruce Roseland, courtesy South Dakota Poetry Society, via SDPB.

Related post

• Gwen Westerman named Minnesota poet laureate

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. 

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.

I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

 

Comments

[Nick Nemec]

I've known Bruce for decades, he is the real deal. A lifelong rancher, a volunteer wrestling coach at Faulkton High, a father and husband, and an all around good guy. I always knew him as a thoughtful and modest man but I knew him for years before I found out he was also a poet. He already does poetry outreach this summer I attended a poetry and story telling event in Highmore where he was featured.