Georgia poet laureate Chelsea Rathburn explores life's complex questions through her poetry

Atlanta spoken word artist Chelsea Rathburn is Georgia's poet laureate. (Courtesy of Keith Necaise)

On the “City Lights” series “Speaking of Poetry,” Atlanta’s most prolific wordsmiths discuss the art of evoking emotions with words. This “Speaking of Poetry” edition features spoken word artist Chelsea Rathburn.

In 2019, she was appointed as the poet laureate of Georgia. Rathburn is also the author of three full-length poetry collections.

“I’m a narrative poet, which means I write poems that tell stories. Stories about my life, my memory, my family and things I notice in the world around me,” said Rathburn.

Rathburn started writing short stories and poems in elementary school to express herself creatively. She believed the trajectory of her writing style would lead her to become a fiction writer after college, but after enrolling in a poetry class her first semester, she decided to stick with poetry as her preferred medium.

Rathburn is currently working on a book about “home” and the foundations that shape us physically and metaphorically. You can find more information about her latest work here.