MOUNT DORA TEACHER BECOMES LAKE COUNTY'S FIRST POET LAUREATE

A panel has chosen a Mount Dora teacher who says “poetry chose her” as the Lake County Library System’s first poet laureate. In her role, Laura Sobbott Ross will serve a one-year term volunteering for events and writing for the Lake County Poet Laureate Journal.   

Sobbott Ross is a widely published award-winning poet whose work has appeared in more than 100 literary journals. In addition to four Pushcart Prize nominations, she was a finalist for the Art & Letters Poetry Prize and won the Southern Humanities Auburn Witness Poetry Prize. She has published two chapbooks, “A Tiny Hunger” and “My Mississippi,” and a third book, “The Graffiti of Pompeii,” is scheduled for publication this year. Her recent poem, “The Writing Lesson,” reflects her strong affinity for the Lake County community.

“My goal is to get it out there, make it accessible and enjoyable,” Sobbott Ross said. “Lake County is artistic. It’s time we uncovered the raw, untapped potential of the people in our community.”

Sobbott Ross is a state-certified English teacher and trained writing coach. Much of her career was spent teaching children in the Lake County Schools system. She currently teaches English to ESOL adults and GED prep at Lake Technical College and has experience working with students ages 5 to 91.

For more information about the Lake County Library System or to find out about future programs, call 352-253-6180.  Find more local news in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis here and follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook.   Free subscriptions to the monthly issue of 'The Buzz' are available here.

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