---
title: HR 314. Rathburn, Chelsea; distinguished Poet Laureate of Georgia; commend
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr314
cite_as: HR 314, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr314
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr314.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr314/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70539
date: 2025-02-19
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr313.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr315.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 131
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr314.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 314
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-02-19
last_action: House Read and Adopted
sponsors:
  - Lisa Campbell
  - Terry Cummings
  - Sheila Jones
  - Stacey Evans
  - Inga Willis
  - Karen Lupton
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR314/2025
upstream_id: 1976286
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Poet Laureate of Georgia
  - arts and literature
  - ceremonial resolution
  - Chelsea Rathburn
---

# HR 314. Rathburn, Chelsea; distinguished Poet Laureate of Georgia; commend

## Text

House Resolution 314
By: Representatives Campbell of the 35th, Cummings of the 39th, Jones of the 60th, Evans of
the 57th, Willis of the 55th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and celebrating Chelsea Rathburn as the distinguished Poet Laureate of
Georgia; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Chelsea Rathburn has long been recognized by the citizens of this state for her
critically acclaimed poetry and creative collections, having been appointed as Poet Laureate
of the State of Georgia in 2019 and serving as an ambassador for poetry and a champion of
the literary arts in Georgia; and
WHEREAS, born in Jacksonville and raised in Miami, Florida, Chelsea Rathburn has deep
roots in the State of Georgia, where her mother's family has lived since the 1830s; and
WHEREAS, Rathburn holds a B.A. from Florida State University and an M.F.A. from the
University of Arkansas. Rathburn moved to Young Harris from Decatur, Georgia, where she
taught poetry workshops at Emory University and chaired the poetry track for the Decatur
Book Festival; and
WHEREAS, Chelsea Rathburn now lives in Young Harris, Georgia, with her husband, the
poet James Davis May, and their daughter; Chelsea Rathburn is currently an associate
professor of English-Creative Writing at Mercer University; and
WHEREAS, the position of Georgia's Poet Laureate was established in 1925. As the state's
Poet Laureate, Rathburn is an ambassador for the literary arts in Georgia, championing the
rich legacy of Georgia's writers both past and present and cultivating new audiences. She also
judges the Poet Laureate's Prize, an annual state-wide high school contest. In this role,
Rathburn serves every corner of the state, voicing the value of reading, writing, literacy, and
storytelling in the lives of every Georgian; and
WHEREAS, Chelsea Rathburn is the author of three poetry collections, A Raft of Grief
(2013), The Shifting Line (2005), and Still Life with Mother and Knife (2019), as well as the
winner of the 2005 Richard Wilbur Award. Her poems have been widely published in the
nation's top journals, including Poetry, The Atlantic Monthly, the New Republic, The
Southern Review, New England Review, and Ploughshares, among others, while her prose
has been published in the nation's most esteemed journals, including Creative Nonfiction and
Ploughshares. In 2009, she received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts;
and
WHEREAS, in 2021, Rathburn received a Poets Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of
American Poets to implement Georgia Poetry in the Parks, poetry trails featuring poems by
contemporary Georgia poets, in partnership with the Georgia Center for the Book and the
DeKalb Library Foundation; and
WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this
remarkable, dedicated, and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body recognize and celebrate Chelsea Rathburn as the Poet Laureate of
Georgia as well as extend to her their most sincere wishes for continued success and
happiness.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to
Chelsea Rathburn.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House resolution formally recognizes and commends Chelsea Rathburn, the state's Poet Laureate since 2019, for her literary career and contributions to Georgia's arts community.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors Chelsea Rathburn, who has served as Georgia's Poet Laureate since 2019. It details her background, including her education, her move to Young Harris, Georgia, her teaching position at Mercer University, and her body of published poetry and prose.
The resolution describes her role as Poet Laureate, including judging an annual statewide high school poetry contest and leading a Poetry in the Parks initiative that placed poems by Georgia poets along trails around the state. It closes by having the House formally recognize and celebrate her accomplishments and directing the Clerk of the House to provide her a copy of the resolution.

### What it does

- Formally recognizes and celebrates Chelsea Rathburn as Georgia's Poet Laureate through a House resolution.
- Extends the House of Representatives' wishes for her continued success and happiness.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Rathburn.
- Does not create any new law, funding, or program; it is a ceremonial statement of recognition.

### Who it affects

This resolution primarily concerns Chelsea Rathburn herself. It also touches the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who must prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to her, and reflects on institutions mentioned such as Mercer University and the Georgia Center for the Book.

### Why it matters

As a ceremonial resolution, this does not change any Georgia law, create funding, or impose requirements on anyone. Its practical effect is limited to formally recognizing Rathburn's literary contributions and providing her with an official copy of the resolution.

### Key provisions

- The resolution's whereas clauses recount Rathburn's biography, education, and literary career, including her 2019 appointment as Poet Laureate.
- It notes she judges the Poet Laureate's Prize, an annual statewide high school poetry contest.
- It references her 2021 Poets Laureate Fellowship used to create Georgia Poetry in the Parks, a poetry trail project with the Georgia Center for the Book and DeKalb Library Foundation.
- The resolving clause has the House formally recognize and celebrate Rathburn and wish her continued success.
- A final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to Rathburn.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2025-02-19)
- Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-19)
- Sponsors: Lisa Campbell, Terry Cummings, Sheila Jones, Stacey Evans, Inga Willis, Karen Lupton
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70539

> The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr314.md?full=1