“In my most challenging moments as an undergraduate student at Carolina, poetry, hip-hop music, and the community I cultivated through the arts provided me a space of peace and introspection; a reminder that I did, in fact, belong here, when everything else seemed otherwise.”
The department is thrilled to share the news of Teaching Assistant Professor Dr. Donovan Livingston’s appointment as Chapel Hill’s Poet Laureate, 2025-2026!
The Chapel Hill Arts and Culture website states, “The mission of the Chapel Hill Poet Laureate is to inspire creativity and celebrate community through poetry, public programs, and shared poetry experiences. The Poet Laureate carries out this mission by being an ambassador for poetry, by fostering connections to the poetry community, and by enhancing the social and civic life of the Chapel Hill community.”
Those who know Dr. Livingston can see his exemplary fit for this role. “We all look forward to the creative initiatives, writings, performances, and innovations that he has in the works as Poet Laureate,” noted department chair Dr. Jocelyn Neal in her announcement email to department faculty.
“In my most challenging moments as an undergraduate student at Carolina, poetry, hip-hop music, and the community I cultivated through the arts provided me a space of peace and introspection; a reminder that I did, in fact, belong here, when everything else seemed otherwise,” Dr. Livingston told us. “It is my hope, that with this appointment and my role at the University, I can expound on that lyrical tradition by creating opportunities and programs for students, Town residents and civic leaders, to engage with one another poetically, to unearth people’s stories, experiences, and material needs. I intend to use music and poetry, within my coursework, research, and community outreach, to amplify our capacity for collective healing, wellbeing, and resilience.”
Congratulations on this incredible honor, Dr. Livingston!
Read the official announcement by Marching Tar Heel alum Brighton McConnell, for Chapelboro.com, below.
Dr. Donovan Livingston is set to serve as Chapel Hill’s latest poet laureate.
The town’s Community Arts & Culture department made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon, tabbing the spoken word poet and UNC educator for the role. Livingston will be the third poet laureate in town history, succeeding Cortland Gilliam after his two-year tenure ended in 2024.
“I am delighted to join the ranks of the vaunted poet laureateship in the Town of Chapel Hill,” said Livingston through the local government, “a community where I developed a profound appreciation for poetics and the spoken word. In my tenure, I hope to continue the tradition of using the arts as a vehicle for social discourse, community research and engagement, establishing strategic partnerships, pursuing funding opportunities for arts-based initiatives, and perhaps most importantly, amplifying local youth voices through creative writing, storytelling, and performance.”
Livingston joined UNC’s Department of Music as a teaching assistant professor in Jan. 2024, teaching courses on the history of hip-hop and composition after having graduated from the university. He is also the university’s Director of College Thriving — a role that designs, implements and evaluates UNC’s updated general education course requirements for all first-year students. Additionally, Livingston has put out two hip-hop albums under his own name: “Molasses” in 2021, and “K.E.Y.S: Knowledge Essential for Your Success” in 2022 — while also being featured on several other artists’ records.
Beyond his undergraduate degree from Carolina, Livingston holds master’s degrees from Columbia University and Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations.
Arguably Livingston’s most high-profile moment came in 2016, when he delivered the convocation address for Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The spoken word piece, titled “Lift Off,” went viral and led to the artist being featured on a variety of U.S. and international news outlets — and was later published as a book.
Livingston will serve as the poet laureate for two years, with his tenure ending in the winter of 2026.
Watch: “Lift Off”
Hear Donovan’s 2016 Harvard Graduate School of Education convocation address.
Click here for new music, poetry, events, and select publications.
View Dr. Livingston’s official page as Poet Laureate on the Town of Chapel Hill’s website.