Johnston County Poet Named State Laureate

North Carolina has a new poet laureate. Gov. Pat McCrory has tapped Shelby Stephenson of Benson for the post.

That's typically not big news. But McCrory's first pick created an unusual backlash. This time the choice is more conventional.

Stephenson, 76, was chosen five months after McCrory's first pick for the laureate position stepped down after less than a week. Valerie Macon was picked without the assistance of the state Department of Cultural Resources.

Her pick was panned by many in North Carolina's literary circle, who questioned both Macon's credentials as well as the process of her selection.

On announcing Stephenson's selection, McCrory acknowledged that he didn't follow the traditional process the first time. He says Stephenson's choice came with the blessings of the cultural resources department and a panel of writers, publishers and scholars.

Stephenson grew up in Johnston County and his poems often reflect lessons learned from that rural way of life. He's has also been a professor of English, an editor and a musician. He and his wife Linda have produced four CD's of traditional music together.

As laureate, Stephenson says he will build writing workshops in nursing and assisted living homes, raise awareness of local archives and family histories, and promote writings about farm life in North Carolina.