Ojibwe poet and former Wisconsin poet laureate Kimberly Blaeser will share her luminous voice as Beloit College’s next Mackey Chair.

Blaeser is an Indigenous activist and environmentalist who grew up on the White Earth Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

The writer, photographer, and scholar is a Professor of English and Indigenous Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and MFA faculty for the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. She is the Founding Director of In-Na-Po, the Indigenous Nations Poets literary organization.

“Beloit students will be lucky to learn from Professor Blaeser, an inspiring teacher, a luminous voice, and one of the most gifted indigenous writers of our time,” says Professor Chris Fink, director of the college’s Mackey program.

The Mackey Chair is just one of Beloit College’s unique programs that brings talented writers to campus to enlighten the campus through presentations and public readings.

Established in the late 1980s by Willard Mackey’47 in honor of his wife, Lois’45, this program brings distinguished authors to campus to teach an advanced creative writing course. Past “Mackeys” include acclaimed writers Billy Collins, Susan Choi, Amy Hempel, Ursula K. Le Guin, Rebecca Makkai, Kevin Young, and Lynda Barry.

Blaeser is the author of five poetry collections, and her spring 2024 arrival on campus will coincide with the publication of her newest book.