Jacqueline Trimble, a Montgomery native whose work has gained national acclaim, has been elected Alabama’s next poet laureate by the Alabama Writers’ Cooperative.

Trimble was chosen Sept. 14 during the organization’s annual three-day conference in Orange Beach according to a news release. The decision was unanimous among members present, following recommendations from the Poet Laureate Nominations Committee. She will officially begin her four-year term in 2026 after a commission from the governor.

Tina Mozelle Braziel, who chairs the committee, called the slate of nominees “distinguished” and praised the state’s current literary climate.

“I think we are truly in the golden age of writing in Alabama,” she said in the release.

Founded in 1923, the cooperative is Alabama’s oldest writers’ group. It is tasked by the Legislature with recommending a state poet laureate to the governor every four years.

Trimble, who chairs the Department of Languages and Literatures at Alabama State University, was visibly emotional after the vote. “I am rarely brought to tears, but this is one of the best moments of my life, so far,” she told the audience.

In her remarks, Trimble emphasized the state’s literary tradition.

“Alabama has been blessed with a rich literary tradition,” she said. “The talent that exists and has always existed here is second to none. I am honored, humbled and deeply moved by the faith the Alabama Writers’ Cooperative and the writers of Alabama have placed in me to be their chief champion of poetry in this state.”

She added, “I walk in the footsteps of wonderful poet laureates and I hope to continue their work of bringing well-deserved attention to this state’s literary abundance. The world needs to know our Alabama poets and I look forward to working with organizations and individual artists to encourage emerging and established writers, create new ways of engaging readers and support the beautiful and important work of poetry in this state.”

Trimble’s debut poetry collection, “American Happiness,” won the 2016 Balcones Poetry Prize. Her latest book is “How to Survive the Apocalypse: Poems.” Her work has appeared in “Poetry,” “The Louisville Review,” “The Offing,” “The Rumpus,” “Salvation South,” “Gravy” and “Poet Lore.” She has also been featured in Poetry Foundation’s “Poem of the Day,” “Poetry Daily” and “Poem-a-Day.”

Beyond the page, Trimble wrote five episodes of the South African soap opera “Die Testament,” which streamed in 2019, and eight episodes of its sequel “Die Testament 2” in 2022. She has served on the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the Harper Lee Award Selection Committee and as president of the Alabama Writers Forum Board. Nationally, she has contributed to several committees for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Her honors include a National Endowment for the Arts creative writing fellowship in poetry, a Cave Canem fellowship and two Alabama State Council on the Arts literary fellowships in 2017 and 2023.

Jessica Jones Langston, president of the Alabama Writers’ Cooperative, praised the selection.

“We are beyond thrilled with Jacqueline Trimble’s election and we know that she will serve the state of Alabama well,” she said. “We’re grateful for her beautiful poems, her passion for teaching and for helping others.”

More information about Trimble’s work is available at www.jacquelineallentrimble.com. Details about the Alabama Writers’ Cooperative can be found at www.alabamawriterscooperative.org.