In January 2013, the Aurora City Council unanimously voted for Jovan Mays as the city's inaugural Poet Laureate. Jovan was born and raised in Aurora, and it was his hometown that first inspired him to capture the stories of its diverse community through the art of writing and performing poetry. "I love this city, and I am willing to do anything in my power to help better it through my craft," Mays said.

In an interview with a local magazine shortly after becoming poet laureate, he shared that the RTD bus that runs along East Colfax Avenue from Aurora to Denver and back was one of his favorite places to get inspiration for his poems. With a pencil in hand, he observed the city's dynamic community while listening to music or talked to people from different walks of life to capture the city's essence through poetry. He also expressed that "a part of being a poet laureate is trying to be a modern historian."

Mays is a National Poetry Slam Champion, two-time winner of Denver city slam championships and a TEDxMileHigh speaker. He is the author of three books: “Pride,” “The Great Box Escape” and “This Is Your Song.” Mays has worked with over 1 million students throughout the metro area through his program Your Writing Counts and currently works as a Youth Voice Coordinator for Aurora Public Schools.

Welcome to theCity of AuroraColorado

Former Poet Laureates

Contact Info

Useful Links

City of AuroraColorado

Accreditations