Delgado Professor Gina Ferrara Earns Distinguished Honor of Being Named Louisiana’s Poet Laureate (2025-2027)

September 04, 2025

Delgado Community College commends and celebrates Professor Gina Ferrara on her distinguished honor of being appointed Louisiana’s Poet Laureate (2025-2027) by The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and Gov. Jeff Landry.

Ferrara launched her teaching career at Delgado as an adjunct in 2009. She accepted a permanent teaching position in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor of English in 2023. In her current role, she skillfully integrates poetry into pedagogy—exposing students to literary arts and poets. This includes collaborating with colleagues to bring prominent poets from across Louisiana to perform their work in Delgado’s Timothy K. Baker Theater on the City Park Campus.

A resident of New Orleans, Ferrara has garnered respect locally and abroad as a poet, educator, and literary advocate. Ferrara has published five poetry collections, and many of her poems have been published in journals such as Callaloo, The Poetry Ireland Review, Tar River, and The Southern Review.

Ferrara was previously awarded a grant to study and perform poetry in Ireland. She has also read and studied in major metropolitan cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Her poetic presence and influence locally are equally impressive, as Ferrara participates in and curates poetry readings throughout the Greater New Orleans region.

As Louisiana’s Poet Laureate, Ferrara will serve as Louisiana’s literary ambassador.

Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib, Chancellor of Delgado Community College said: “Professor Gina Ferrara adds remarkable value to Delgado. She expertly shares her knowledge and passion for writing, poetry, and literature with students and the community at large while continuing to make notable literary contributions. As Poet Laureate, she has inherited the honor of sharing her talents with a broader audience throughout Louisiana.”

Delgado Professor and Louisiana Poet Laureate Gina Ferrara said: “What I am looking forward to the most about being Poet Laureate of Louisiana is getting to know people throughout the state and helping them gain a greater appreciation for poetry through readings and workshops.”

Dean Emily Cosper of the School of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education at Delgado said:  “The School of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education is aflutter with the exciting news that our very own Gina Ferrara has been named Poet Laureate of Louisiana. Gina has long been a valued member of our English faculty, inspiring students and faculty alike with her skill in the classroom and on the page. We are delighted that she is receiving this well-deserved recognition for her many contributions to the art of poetry. In her teaching, writing, and presence, Gina embodies the power of poetry to illuminate, connect, and heal in a troubled world.”

###

About Gina Ferrara

Gina Ferrara has five poetry collections: Ethereal Avalanche (Trembling Pillow Press, 2009), Amber Porch Light (Word Tech 2013), Fitting the Sixth Finger: Poems Inspired by the Paintings of Marc Chagall (Kelsay Books 2017), Weight of the Ripened (Dos Madres Press, 2020), an Eyelands Poetry Prize Finalist, and Amiss, also published by Dos Madres Press in 2023. Her work has appeared in numerous journals including Callaloo, The Poetry Ireland Review Tar River and The Southern Review and was nominated for a Best of the Net and a Pushcart in 2024. Since 2007, she has curated The Poetry Buffet, a monthly reading series in New Orleans. She lives near Bayou St. John with her husband, Jonathan Kline, and their bulldog.