Naomi Long Madgett, Champion of Black Poets,
is Dead at 97
Penelope Green, New York Times
A longtime Poet Laureate of Detroit, she is as well known for publishing the work of others as she was for her own verse.
Read Full Article >>Noted Poet Laureate of Detroit Naomi Long Madgett Dead at 97
Herb Boyd, Metro Times
Amid the illustrious women listed on the cover of Haki Madhubuti’s book Taught by Women is Naomi Long Madgett.
Archived Papers and Collections
Naomi Long Madgett Papers / Lotus Press Archive
- Special Collections
- Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library
- University of Michigan
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
Early Madgett Papers
- Special Collections
- Fisk Library
- Fisk University
- Nashville, Tennessee
Clarke Historical Library
- 250 E. Preston
- Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
Coretta Scott King Letter
Read a letter from Coretta Scott King thanking her for Star by Star
“Nearing Jordan”
I don't know what ‘retirement’ means. If I didn’t have work to do, I’d have to invent it.
NLM at 92
When you know the shores of Jordan
are not miles but steps away
and the chariot swings lower
in the waning light of day,
you may hear an angel beckon,
“Come and rest eternally”
Then a gate will slowly open,
but beyond it you will see
one large desk piled high with papers
and a chair that bears your name
You’ll be happy to discover
earth and heaven are the same
You’ll have manuscripts to edit,
other writing jobs to do,
and your joy will last forever
at your desk beyond the blue.
Copyright 2015 by Naomi Long Madgett

Bronze
Sculptor:Artis Lane
Permanent Collection
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American Art
Detroit, Michigan