Berry College has been a member institution of the Georgia Poetry Circuit since 1998. The Circuit was founded by Adrienne Moore Bond, Mercer Professor, who served as the Circuit Director until her death in 1996. Dr. Gordon Johnston then assumed the Directorship, a post he held until 2007. Mercer served as the flagship school for the Circuit from 1985 to 2007, when the Circuit directorship was moved to Berry College, where it is now housed. Dr. Sandra Meek, Dana Professor of English, Rhetoric and Writing at Berry College, served as Georgia Poetry Circuit Director from 2007-2020. Dr. Christina Olson of Georgia Southern University served as GPC Director from 2020-2023. Dr. Nick Norwood of Columbus State University is the GPC Director for 2023-2026.
Founded at Mercer University in 1985, the Georgia Poetry Circuit is a consortium of ten Georgia colleges and universities working together to bring three poets of national and international reputation annually to all members’ campuses, providing an important access to the literary arts for Georgia residents across the state. At each school, each Circuit poet gives a free and open reading of his/her work. Visiting poets also meet with creative writing students at each campus for workshops, talks, or extended question and answer sessions. In addition to the opportunity to hear work from diverse writers of national and international reputation, the Circuit events provide Georgia students with an immensely valuable educational opportunity for interaction with many of the best contemporary poets in the United States. Recent GPC poets include Adrian Matejka, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Sholeh Wolpe, Kevin Prufer, and Kim Addonizio.