BYU English professor Lance Larsen named Utah Poet Laureate

SALT LAKE CITY — A Brigham Young University English professor has been named Utah's poet laureate.

Gov. Gary Herbert announced Thursday that Lance Larsen will serve a five-year term acting as the leading public advocate for the literary arts in Utah. He'll be available to speak at events throughout the state.

Larsen is the author of three collections of poetry and has received numerous awards, including the Literature Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts.

He assumes the position of outgoing Utah Poet Laureate Katharine Coles.

The poet laureate honor was established in 1997.