Jared Morningstar: Michigan Beat Poet Laureate. (2026-2028)

Jared Morningstar is a high school English teacher, adjunct English professor, a commissioned Kentucky Colonel, and a member of the Friends of Theodore Roethke Organization’s Board of Directors. He writes about his interests and observations of the world around him. Morningstar has published four collections of poetry and prose (American Fries, American Reality, A Slice of American Pie, and Lost in America) through Alien Buddha Press. Several of his stories and poems have been individually published in various literary journals including Culture Cult Magazine, Rust Belt Review, Qua, Still Life, Impspired Magazine, Alien Buddha Zine, and Cardinal Sins. His works were nominated by Skyway Journal of Literature for Best of the Net in 2024 (the poem “Lost in America”) and Alien Buddha Press for the Pushcart Prize in 2020 (the short story “Saying Goodbye to Baby Blue”). Finally, he was the editor for Culture Cult Press’ international anthology of youth fiction entitled Young Voices. Morningstar has also been awarded for his work as an educator. He was one of fourteen high school English teachers nationwide to be honored as a High School Teacher of Excellence in 2012 by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). That same year, he was named by the Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE) as its Secondary Teacher of the Year and Touchstone Award winner (Michigan’s Creative Writing Teacher of the Year). Over the years, dozens of Morningstar’s students have won national and state level awards for their poetry and fiction, and several have had their works honored at Carnegie Hall as Scholastic Writing Award National Medalists. His success as a classroom instructor led his alma mater (Saginaw Valley State University) to name him its College of Education’s 2022 Distinguished Alumnus. Morningstar earned his Master of Arts degree (English Language and Literature) from the University of Michigan: Flint in 2015 and his Bachelor of Arts degree (English/Creative Writing) from Saginaw Valley State University in 2005. He is proud and honored to be on life’s journey with his beloved wife and children.