Poet Laureate for the City of Coconut Creek

Laura McDermott Matheric

Visions on Alligator Alley

Laura traces the journey of a Florida woman who struggles with the overwhelmingly masculine world she lives in, and with feelings of desire, longing, and deep mourning.

Available Now!

BUY NOW

About

292326377_3159780457597642_8932536032745843760_n (1).jpg

My Story

Laura McDermott Matheric, a true native of South Florida, was born and raised in Broward County, Florida. She is a tenured assistant professor of English at Broward College where she was the recipient of the 2014 Wells Fargo Endowed Teaching Chair. Laura earned a BA in Creative Writing at Florida State, and an MFA in Creative Writing at Florida International. In recognition of her dedication to higher education and writing, Laura was awarded a Professional Equity Project Grant by the 2008 Conference on College Composition and Communication, and a 2012 Paragon Award by Phi Theta Kappa. She was the 2014-2015 Writer-in-Residency of Girls’ Club, a private foundation and alternative space which inspires cultural growth in Broward County, Florida. As a member of the Miami Poetry Collective, her poetry is regularly featured in its Cent Journal Series: A Modern Anthology of Miami Poets, and her poems can also be found in various publications such as Screw Iowa!; the Virginia Key website; The Selected Collective: Volume VIII of Tigertail, a South Florida Poetry Annual; and Poets & Artists. She also won honorable mention in the 2013 Poetry Society of Virginia’s annual poetry contest. Laura has developed several literary projects within her local community, and served as the festival coordinator of a South Florida poetry festival for more than nine years. Her first book of poetry was published by Lominy Press in the summer of 2015. She is currently serving as the first Poet Laureate for the City of Coconut Creek.

Watch Readings

Watch Now

IN THE PRESS

Press

My Books

During the August 25th meeting of the City Commission, the Commission created a Poet Laureate Program for the City and appointed Laura as the city and county's first Poet Laureate. The Laura is incredibly honored and seeks to unite with the City in it's endeavors to promote poetry and the literary arts to all sectors of the community and encourage the reading of existing and new poetry at civic occasions, local celebrations, and City-sponsored events.

Events