Naomi Long Madgett, poet, educator and publisher, as well as Detroit's poet laureate since 2001, died November 4. She was 97. The Free Press reported that in 1972, frustrated by the lack of publishers for Black poets, Madgett founded Lotus Press (now Broadside Lotus Press). She said one of her proudest projects was editing the anthology Adam of Ife: Black Women in Praise of Black Men (1992). She also served as poetry editor for Michigan State University Press in the 1990s.
"It was her joy and passion to selflessly advance Detroit poets," said graphic designer Leisia Duskin, who had worked with Madgett in publishing for the past two decades. "She was especially honored and humbled by her position as poet laureate. She was always about others more so than herself."
Her poems "often mirror the blues-based lyricism of Hughes's work, casting a light on themes of African American spirituality and civil rights," the Free Press noted. Madgett's books include Octavia and Other Poems; Remembrances of Spring: Collected Early Poems; and Exits and Entrances. Her work has been included in anthologies around the world.
"What I have done with my life is only what I was supposed to do," Madgett said during a reading at the Charles Wright Museum of African American History in 2017. "I believe the purpose of my life is to serve, to make a positive difference in someone's life, to redirect someone who is heading in the wrong direction, to be a good role model, to inspire someone to lead a more meaningful life."
As an English teacher for years at Detroit's Northwestern High School, "she pioneered its first courses in African-American literature and creative writing," Detroit News wrote. She also taught at Eastern Michigan University from 1968-1984, and "was a lifelong leader in pushing for fairer representation of African-Americans in school textbooks."
When she was named the Kresge Foundation's 2012 Eminent Artist, president Rip Rapson praised Madgett's "life of creativity while supporting other writers and poets, reaching across generations to spark in young people a love of words and writing, and maintaining a deep and abiding commitment to the Detroit community." Her other honors include the American Book Award for her work as an editor and publisher, the Michigan Artist Award, and the National Council of Teachers of English Black Caucus Award.