“Poetry feeds the soul. Poetry is about moments and snapshots of beauty. At the same time, it’s also moments of struggle and overcoming struggle. It’s life-sustaining.” —Glenis Redmond Glenis Redmond views poetry as a source of nourishment.
Her first taste of the craft was in Aviano, Italy, during a Black history school program in February 1974. Redmond, a fifth grader at the time, became captivated when she heard the poem “1,968 Winters” by Jackie Earley.
“It spoke to me as a fifth grader because I was an avid and voracious reader, but I had never had a Black main character up until that point. I’d never had a mirror as literature,” Redmond said.
A self-proclaimed Air Force brat, Redmond spent most of her childhood moving across the county and overseas. Her family settled in Greenville County after her father retired from the Air Force in 1976. Redmond was enrolled at Woodmont Junior and Senior High School and began writing poetry in her eighth-grade English class.
Poetry came naturally to Redmond, and she has perfected her craft to become an award-winning poet, teaching artist and author of several poetry books. She currently serves as the first poet laureate for the city of Greenville, where she promotes literacy and literature in the local community.
“Poetry feeds the soul,” Redmond said. “Poetry is about moments and snapshots of beauty. At the same time, it’s also moments of struggle and overcoming struggle. It’s life-sustaining.”
Redmond’s impact on the local poetry community spans back to the early 1990s when she started the first poetry slam in downtown Greenville. She previously served as the poet-in-residence at the Peace Center and is the vice president of the Poetry Society of South Carolina.
“I’m what you would call a place-based poet,” Redmond said. “I think because I was placeless at one time means a lot to me now and that’s why Greenville and South Carolina figure into my work heavily.”
The inspiration for Redmond’s free verse poetry lies both in the present and past. As Greenville’s poet laureate, Redmond enjoys sharing the stories of the city and local community, from the lives of Greenlink’s passengers to the city’s beloved parks. Local organizations, nonprofits and schools commission Redmond to write and perform poetry for various events and celebrations.
Poetry also allows Redmond to explore the Upstate’s diverse history. Redmond said it’s up to writers and other artists to bring the history of Greenville and its African American community to the forefront. She is currently working on a new poetry book called “My Life is a Poem” which shares the story of Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates, a famous Black one-legged tap dancer from Fountain Inn.
“I’m the chief storyteller of Greenville,” Redmond said. “I’m setting a precedent for telling the stories of Greenville, and it’s not just me telling the stories but gathering people to tell stories.”
Counseling background
Glenis Redmond worked as a counselor before becoming a poet. She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Erskine College and a master’s degree in child and family studies at Texas Tech University. She was also enrolled in a doctorate program for counseling psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“I was book smart and all I knew was books and I was a people person, so I wanted to help the world in some way,” Redmond said. “But academia was not fulfilling my heart. I didn’t feel connected in the way I knew I wanted to be connected.”
Today, Redmond uses her counseling background when leading workshops and helping others tell their stories through poetry.
More about Glenis Redmond
Glenis Redmond is the city of Greenville’s first poet laureate. She received a master’s degree in fine arts in poetry from Warren Wilson College. She previously served as the poet-in-resident for the Peace Center and State Theatre New Jersey. She is a Kennedy Center teaching artist and the vice president of the Poetry Society of South Carolina. She was also an artist-on-roster for the South Carolina Arts Commission.
Redmond has toured the county as a poet and teaching artist over the years and has written several poetry books. She devotes four to five hours a day to writing poetry.
She received the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts and was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors. She also received the Charlie Award from the Carolina Mountains Literacy Festival and the Peacemaker Award from the Upstate Mediation Center.
Redmond was born on Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter and is an Army veteran reservist. She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in her 30s and Stage 3 multiple myeloma in 2019. Redmond is the mother of two twin daughters and the “Gaga” to her three grandchildren. When she isn’t writing, Redmond enjoys gardening, bird watching and dancing.
