Jay Snider Reappointed Oklahoma State Poet Laureate by Governor Stitt
OKLAHOMA CITY (January 14, 2025) – Jay Snider of Cyril, Oklahoma, has been reappointed as Oklahoma State Poet Laureate by Governor J. Kevin Stitt. Snider will serve an additional two years in the honorary position, which he has held since 2023. Snider’s second term officially began January 1, 2025, and will last through 2026.
Every two years, with guidance and support from the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Governor of Oklahoma appoints an Oklahoma State Poet Laureate. Presentations, workshops, and other engagements in Oklahoma communities by the laureate are supported in part by the state's arts agency.
“I’m proud to reappoint Jay as our State Poet Laureate,” said Governor Stitt. “He represents the incredible talent and artistry that come out our state, and I’m glad he’s willing to continue serving Oklahomans and carry on this great tradition.”
“Jay has been a delight to work with, so we are thrilled he will remain in his capacity as Oklahoma State Poet Laureate,” said Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples. “Over the past two years, we have seen firsthand how Oklahomans connect with Jay through his poetry and its embodiment of the American West and the cowboy way of life. We have read and listened to accounts of students, teachers, families, and others who have discovered a deeper appreciation of poetry as an artform after experiencing one of Jay’s programs. As he begins his second term as laureate, we look forward to continuing our support for his outreach across Oklahoma.”
“It has been an extreme honor to serve as the Oklahoma State Poet Laureate,” said Snider. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to travel across the great state of Oklahoma and meet many of the people while sharing the art of cowboy poetry. The stories and images, the prelude to poetry, are abundant and inspiring throughout this great state. I look forward to continuing this work, seeing other areas of the state, and meeting more fascinating people along the way.
Snider’s first term as laureate saw him travel extensively across Oklahoma, visiting the communities of Altus, Ardmore, Claremore, Duncan, Enid, Lawton, Mustang, Newkirk, and Oklahoma City. With funding from the Oklahoma Arts Council, Snider has led poetry and creative writing workshops and presentations at schools, libraries, and museums while also being featured at festivals and community programs, including an event presented by the Rogers County Literary Council. Among his appearances, during the 2023 Oklahoma Arts Conference, Snider took center stage performing for hundreds of attendees at the gathering of Oklahoma’s creative sector.
Through Snider’s poet laureate workshops and presentations, Oklahomans connect cowboy poetry as a traditional artform to the history and culture of the state. Snider uses his art to help teach about cattle drives, the Chisholm Trail, and the livelihoods of generations past and present in the American West.
As laureate, Snider has engaged and impacted hundreds of Oklahomans of all ages. During a workshop led by Snider for students at an Oklahoma City high school, a teacher noted how a student who recently lost a parent was able to open up about the difficult experience for the first time through poetry.
Snider is available to organizations and schools throughout Oklahoma for presentations and workshops. Funding may be available from the Oklahoma Arts Council to support Oklahoma State Poet Laureate programming.
About Jay Snider
An award-winning cowboy poet and recording artist, Jay Snider frequently appears at national and regional events, including the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Nevada, the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering, and the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering. Snider was a featured poet at the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering for many years. In 2001, he was chosen by CowboyPoetry.com as their fifth Lariat Laureate—awarded to poets whose work celebrates and preserves stories honoring Western heritage and the work of ranching and rural life. In 2006, Snider earned Cowboy Poetry Recording of the Year from the Academy of Western Artists for his CD, “Of Horses and Men.” In 2008, he was recognized as Cowboy Poet of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists. His latest album, “The Old Tried and True,” is a compilation of his favorite poems written by cowboy poets of the past.
Born and raised in a ranching and rodeo family in southwestern Oklahoma, Snider rodeoed as a young man. He currently stays busy raising ranch horses and cattle and taking part in team roping.
The Oklahoma State Poet Laureate
Oklahoma’s poets laureate tradition dates back to 1923. The appointment of an Oklahoma State Poet Laureate by the Governor of Oklahoma was codified into state law in 1994. The statute calls for an appointment every two years. The tradition of officials conferring poets laureate to make public appearances and promote a greater appreciation of poetry originated hundreds of years ago. A United States Poet Laureate is appointed by the Librarian of Congress—Tulsa’s Joy Harjo, the first Native American and Oklahoman to hold the position, completed an unprecedented third term as U.S. Poet Laureate in 2022.
The Oklahoma Arts Council serves on behalf of the Office of the Governor to solicit and facilitate recommendations for the honorary position. The agency supports the work of the Oklahoma State Poet Laureate by promoting their work and making grants available to eligible entities to present readings and programs featuring the laureate. Organizations and schools interested in presenting the Oklahoma State Poet Laureate can learn more at arts.ok.gov.
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Media Contact
Joel Gavin
Director of Marketing and Communications
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 312-1838
joel.gavin@arts.ok.gov
About the Oklahoma Arts Council
The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides more than 500 grants to more than 300 organizations and schools in communities statewide each year, organizes professional and workforce development opportunities for the state's arts and cultural industry, manages the art collections at the Oklahoma state Capitol, and oversees the State of Oklahoma’s percent for public art program. Additional information is available at arts.ok.gov.
About Allied Arts OKC
As a United Arts Fund, Allied Arts works to broaden support for the arts by raising financial support for cultural organizations, encouraging participation and attendance, advocating for arts education, and promoting excellence in the arts and arts management. Since its founding in 1971, the organization has raised more than $91 million to advance the arts in central Oklahoma. Learn more at alliedartsokc.com. Allied Arts has more than 40 nonprofit cultural organizations under its umbrella.
About Arts Alliance Tulsa
As one of over 40 United Arts Funds operating in the United States, Arts Alliance Tulsa serves as a centralized fundraising clearinghouse to provide ongoing operating support sustaining 40 local nonprofit arts institutions. Funds raised by Arts Alliance Tulsa are presented annually as unrestricted grants to member organizations to use the arts to drive the local economy. Learn more at artstulsa.org.