Vahos (left), Finke (center), and Mayor Sorenson (right)
The City of Sheboygan now has a new ambassador for the literary arts.
Mayor Ryan Sorenson officially appointed Anneliese Finke as the City’s second-ever Poet Laureate at the most recent meeting of the Common Council.
Finke steps into the role, replacing Sheboygan’s first Poet Laureate, Lisa Vahos, who has served in the position since 2020.
Finke, an accomplished writer, received her Bachelor of Arts from Bard College at Simon’s Rock before obtaining her MFA in poetry from the University in Maryland.
When she was appointed, Finke shared her words on what this new role means to her.
“It is an honor to receive this position. I believe very strongly that the arts are not an extra adornment, but a necessity to life,” Finke said. “Something that makes life better and more worthwhile, but also a way of practicing imagination and through imagination empathy.”
Vihos also showed her gratitude to the community for allowing her to serve as the City’s first Poet Laureate.
Vihos said, “We are lucky to have Anneliese with us, and I just want to say thank you for having me be your Poet Laureate for the last five, six years.”
She happily added, “It was an honor and a pleasure.”
The Sheboygan Poet Laureate was introduced in 2020 in conjunction with the Mead Public Library.
Finke hopes to create projects that bring poetry into the wider community during her time as Sheboygan’s new Poet Laureate.
