Meet Charleston's Poet Laureate, Marcus Amaker

Host Holly Bounds Jackson with poet laureate Marcus Amaker

Marcus Amaker is the Poet Laureate of Charleston, South Carolina, and an 8-time published author. During Amaker’s interview on By The River, we learned many things about what makes his work so powerful. Amaker posits the flexibility of poetry, poetry’s constant changing form, and its balance between fun and serious tones. Talking about his new book The Birth of All Things, Amaker reveals that he discovered the artist who designed the cover on Instagram. Along with that, we learn about his graphic design skills, complex relationship with social media, and his deep, deep love for the city of Charleston, S.C.

It is his love for the city of Charleston that moved me during the interview; that, and how his daughter changed his life. Join us this week By The River as we learn about Amaker’s talent for expression through poetry and why he is the Poet Laureate of Charleston.