Glenis Redmond awarded the Order of the Palmetto

Renowned poet Glenis Redmond was awarded the Order of the Palmetto on May 20.

Rep. Chandra Dillard presented the award to Redmond on behalf of Gov. Henry McMaster. The Order of the Palmetto is the highest civilian honor in the state, recognizing the extraordinary achievements and service of South Carolina residents.

Redmond now serves as the city of Greenville’s first poet laureate, promoting literacy and literature in the local community. She has toured the country as a performance poet and a teaching artist for almost three decades. Redmond also authored several poetry books and is writing a new book on Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates, a former recipient of the Order of the Palmetto.”

“It’s an extraordinary honor to be in the line of folks who receive the Order of the Palmetto. I’m grateful,” Redmond said. 

Redmond was nominated for the Order of the Palmetto by her longtime friend, Debra Roberts (artist Deborah Roberts). She also received recommendations from Rep. Chandra Dillard and Rep. Wendell Jones. Greenville Mayor Knox White spoke about Redmond’s role as the city’s poet laureate during the award ceremony, held at the Prisma Health Welcome Center at Greenville’s Unity Park. 

“She continues to be in this role and impart meaning to people, places, opportunities that come up in our community. So, that we really do a great job in capturing the moment and taking a deep breath and learning the beauty of the moment,” White said. “That’s the role of the poet laureate.”

Redmond’s impact on Greenville’s poetry community began in the early 1990s when she founded the Greenville Poetry Slam. She also became the poet-in-residence for the Peace Center in 2012. Redmond currently serves as the vice president of the Poetry Society of South Carolina and is an artist-on-roster for the South Carolina Arts Commission.

Redmond is a North Carolina Literary Fellowship recipient and she helped create the first writer-in-residence program at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock.

In addition to the Order of the Palmetto, Redmond received the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts in 2020 and is a member of the South Carolina Academy of Authors. Redmond said she writes poetry to express what inspires her, not for awards or recognition.

“It feels like the honor is not just for me, it’s for all of the people who have supported me. It takes a village to raise a poet,” Redmond said. “This is about the village and the stories of South Carolina.”