Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced the appointment of Justin Hamm, of Mexico, as the Missouri Poet Laureate for 2025-2027.

Mr. Hamm currently serves as the school librarian at Eugene Field Elementary in Mexico and is the author of five books of poetry and several individual works, which often draw inspiration from Missouri’s people and landscapes, and have appeared in journals and anthologies nationwide.

In addition to his writing, he is a photographer whose award-winning hybrid poetry and photography exhibit, Midwestern, toured throughout the Midwest between 2018 and 2020. Hamm holds a bachelor’s degree in English from MacMurray College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Southern Illinois University.

The Poet Laureate was created in Missouri in 2008 and is administered by the Missouri Arts Council. It’s goal is to enriches the lives of Missourians by fostering the art of poetry statewide, through public appearances, readings, workshops, and digital and social media posts. .

Hamm’s two-year term as Missouri Poet Laureate begins October 1, 2025, and runs through September 30, 2027.