Ashley M. Jones

Ashley M. Jones is the Poet Laureate of Alabama (2022-2026). She is the first person of color and youngest person in Alabama’s history to hold this position, which was created in 1930. Jones is the author of four poetry collections including her most recent volume, Lullaby for the Grieving (Hub City Press, 2025). She is the author of the essay collection WHAT THE MIRROR SAID: THE NECESSITY OF BLACK WOMEN IN POETRY, and she is the co-editor of WHAT THINGS COST: An Anthology for the People. Jones has earned fellowships and awards from many organizations, including the SouthArts, Academy of American Poets, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts. She was named the Southern Prize Finalist by SouthArts in September 2025. Her poems are published in many journals and publications including POETRY, Academy of American Poets, The Atlantic, The Nation, and The Oxford American. and her work has been featured by outlets including PBS, CNN, The BBC, Good Morning America, ABC News, and the New York Times. Jones is the Associate Director of the University Honors Program at UAB, the executive director of the Magic City Poetry Festival, and she is a PhD student in English at Old Dominion University.