House committee advances resolution to designate poet laureate after brief questioning about incumbent

The House Naming and Designating Committee voted to give SJR0593 a positive recommendation, advancing a resolution to designate a Tennessee poet laureate.

A committee member who sponsored the resolution described the nominee as a poet known for a collection titled Nature Scenes and said the nominee’s poem, "My Beloved Tennessee," "was named by the one hundred and twelfth General Assembly as an official state poem of Tennessee" in 2021. "In recognition of her contribution to poetry and other literature endeavors, SJR0593 will designate [the nominee] as poet laureate of Tennessee," the sponsor said.

Representative Jones questioned whether the resolution adequately respected an existing, long-serving poet laureate identified in the transcript as Margaret Vaughn, saying, "She's 87 years old ... she's been our poet laureate since 1995," and asked whether the committee had considered an "emerita" designation instead. The sponsor replied that, based on a dictionary definition consulted during the hearing, "emerita" generally denotes someone who has retired and suggested more than one emerita designation could be possible.

The clerk opened a voice vote and reported, "you have 7 ayes, 0 nos, and 1 present not voting." The committee chair then announced that the bill "moves out with a positive recommendation to state and local government." The committee closed the meeting subject to the call of the chair.

The transcript contains inconsistent spellings for the nominee: the sponsor first referred to the nominee as "Marlene Tidwell" and later as "Marlene Edwards Tibble." The committee record as reflected in the transcript does not resolve that discrepancy; the resolution advanced as SJR0593 and will proceed for further consideration. Representative Jones also raised a question about the history and legal relationship of the poet laureate position, noting the position's reported origins in the early 1970s; the committee did not provide a legal citation during the discussion.

Next steps: With the committee’s positive recommendation, SJR0593 will move to the next stage in the legislative process for additional consideration. The transcript does not record a subsequent floor action or final enactment.