Celebrating 150 years of The City Beautiful

City of Orlando Poet Laureate

Mayor Dyer posing with Poet Laureate Camara Gaither

Camara Gaither is a commissioned spoken word poet and a mental health therapist who weaves the two worlds together, helping others find liberation in the words they write, speak and live. Her mission is to carry poetry into corners of the city untouched by its transformative power. She received her Master’s in Social Work from UCF in 2023.

She has led a variety of poetry groups, won slam competitions across Florida, and represented the City of Orlando in a national team competition. Gaither has served as a resident poet in a multidisciplinary arts fellowship. She has also been the recipient of multiple United Arts grants for her work expanding access to poetry in underserved communities.

As the city’s official storyteller, Gaither will present original poems at city events and youth activities to inspire emerging generations of literary artists and poets. She will continue and expand the city’s “Words and Wonders” Poetry Contest initiated by Orlando’s first poet laureate, Susan Lilley. The contest encourages and rewards residents who share their poetic voices.

Contact Camara

If you are interested in contacting Orlando Poet Laureate, Camara Gaither, please provide details here on the Poet Laureate Request Form. The form will be sent to Camara for review, and she will be in touch soon to confirm if he can honor your request or if adjustments need to be made. Please note that Camara may not be able to accept all requests. Thank you for your interest in the Orlando Poet Laureate Program.

Please follow the Orlando Poet Laureate on her Instagram or on her website to learn about future appearances and events. If you have questions, please contact Marcia Hope Goodwin, Chief Service Officer and Director Office of Community Affairs at communityaffairs@orlando.gov.

Submit a request for our Poet Laureate

Search Committee

Mayor Buddy Dyer appointed the Poet Laureate Search Committee, a group of diverse poets, scholars and literary experts, to assist in the selection process. The Mayor’s office partnered with United Arts of Central Florida to convene and facilitate the selection process. This committee included representatives from University of Central Florida, Valencia College, Rollins College, Seminole State College, Orange County Library System, Burrow Press, and accomplished local poets, with Orlando’s former Poet Laureate Shawn Welcome serving as an Ex-Officio member.

The search committee reviewed all eligible applications, which were scored on a 30-point scale, with up to 20 points for artistic merit of the work samples, and up to 10 points for experience and background. The names of three finalists with committee rankings were forwarded to Mayor Dyer for final selection. Finalists were interviewed (in person or via Zoom) in August 2025. The Poet Laureate was announced in October 2025, during National Arts and Humanities Month.

Learn more about the 2025 search committee

Words and Wonders Winners

Words & Wonders: Slice of Life Winners 2025

The City of Orlando, in partnership with Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, is thrilled to announce the "Words & Wonders - Slice of Life in Central Florida" Poetry Contest! Capture the sights, sounds, smells, and energy of our beautiful region in verse.

Words and Wisdom

For this round of our poetry contest, we invite your experiences with wisdom, a rare and often hard-earned quality to be treasured. Where do you find wisdom, and what wisdom would you offer to others?

Summer Edition Winners

Summer is always a time to slow down, look around and rediscover our beautiful surroundings and vibrant community in Central Florida. View the winners of the Summer edition of Words and Wonders.

Fall Edition Winners

Our Fall poetry challenge invited residents to create a poem that reflects the season of gourds and goblins, gratitude and service to others. View the winners of the Fall edition.

Winter Edition Winners

Winter in Central Florida is like no other place on earth. With our magical sunsets and winter-blooming flowers, even a rare cold day is filled with color and promise. View the winners of the Winter edition of Words and Wonders.

Spring Edition Winners

Spring is the season of renewal, hope and just going ahead. View the winning poems that commemorate our long season of spring.

Nature Edition Winners

For this round of our poetry contest for Central Florida wordsmiths, we welcomed poems about our unique natural surroundings. View the winners of the Nature edition of Words and Wonders.

Words and Wonders Music 2022

We challenged poets across Central Florida to submit written and spoken word poetry about music! Music has such a universal appeal and means different things to different people. We loved to see and hear that expressed through our amazing poets and celebrate the creative words and stories that arise out of this incredible community!

Words and Wonders Food Winners

We challenged poets across Central Florida to submit written and spoken word poetry about food! Yes, we eat to survive but there's so much to be said around the experience of food. What words can you make sizzle?! See, hear, and even smell what our winners came up with!

Words and Wonders: City Life vs. Country Life Winners

For this edition of Words and Wonders, we challenged poets to tell us about their preference over city life vs. country life.

Words and Flight Winners

For this round of our poetry contest the City of Orlando partnered with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority to find creative energy around the theme of flight and travel. Winning poems will be displayed at the Orlando International Airport this summer.

Words and Wonders: Service Winners

For this edition of Words and Wonders, we challenged poets to tell us about what does service look like for them.

Former Poet Laureates

Second Poet Laureate: Shawn Welcome (2021 - 2025)

Shawn Welcome is a long time Orlando resident and University of Central Florida graduate. He has been highly involved in the Orlando community, including facilitating poetic expression since 2006 through "Diverse Word," a weekly poetry night he launched that features local literary artists from across Central Florida.

First Poet Laureate: Susan Lilley (2017-2021)

As the city’s official storyteller, Susan Lilley presented original works of poetry at city events and youth activities to inspire emerging generations of literary artists and readers.

Contact Us

Phone

407.246.2500

Email

communityaffairs@orlando.gov

Department or Office

Office of Community Affairs

400 South Orange Avenue

Downtown Orlando

32801

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