Marcus Amaker

Marcus Amaker takes daily naps with his wife, daughter and cat in North Charleston, SC. He served as Charleston's first Poet Laureate from 2016-22, and was awarded an Academy of American Poets fellowship in 2021. In 2019, he became a SC Governor's Award for the Arts Winner and in 2024, the South Carolina Academy of Authors inducted him into the South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.Marcus' artistic output is abundant: He's released more than 40 albums of music, published 10 volumes of poetry,...See more

Marcus Amaker takes daily naps with his wife, daughter and cat in North Charleston, SC. He served as Charleston's first Poet Laureate from 2016-22, and was awarded an Academy of American Poets fellowship in 2021. In 2019, he became a SC Governor's Award for the Arts Winner and in 2024, the South Carolina Academy of Authors inducted him into the South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.Marcus' artistic output is abundant: He's released more than 40 albums of music, published 10 volumes of poetry, wrote an original opera for the Chicago Opera Theater, started a poetry festival, and is the lead graphic designer for No Depression, a national roots music journal. His poetry is featured on two Grammy-nominated albums, and his work has been recognized by The Washington Post, NPR, PBS Newshour, Button Poetry, Vibe, Charleston Magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and many more. His re-written version of My Country Tis of Thee was used by the Washington National Opera for President Biden's inauguration in 2020.His opera work has been performed in Chicago, Portland, Washington, DC, and the United Kingdom. An accomplished performer, Marcus mixes video, music, and spoken word on stage. As a teaching artist, he visits schools to lead writing workshops and do motivational speaking. He is a relative of Civil Rights activist Norman Amaker. See less