The Poet Laureate of Trinidad and Tobago Program was launched on National Poetry Day 2017 by His Excellency, Anthony T.A. Carmona, ORTT, SC, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and patron of the program. At a special ceremony at the National Library, Port of Spain, Carmona named Paul Keens-Douglas the inaugural Poet Laureate of Trinidad and Tobago. 

The Poet Laureate of Trinidad and Tobago Program is run by the Circle of Poets of Trinidad and Tobago in collaboration with the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS). This initiative is a national one and replaces the previous Poet Laureate of Port of Spain program. The Poet Laureate of Trinidad and Tobago will serve a term of three years. And will involve a series of events and activities.

Paul Keens-Douglas was born in Trinidad on September 22, 1942, and spent his early childhood in Grenada where he attended the St. George’s Methodist School and later Presentation Boys College. He has been writing and performing since 1974, and founded the Talk Tent in 1983 at Victoria Avenue, Port of Spain. Today, Talk Tent has become an integral part of Trinidad’s post-Carnival presentations, focusing on our oral literary tradition among other things. Keens-Douglas is the author of several books of poetry and short-stories including Tanti at the Oval, Savannah Ghost, and Twice Upon A Time. His many awards include the Humming Bird Silver in the sphere of culture and the Zora Neale Hurston Award.