As the inaugural poet laureate of Pilot Mountain, N.C., Brett Gordon ’11 MA sees poetry as a way to bring people together. “You can’t normally just be like, ‘Hey, what do you think about death?’ But you can read a poem and ease into these more serious subjects,” she says.

As an international flight attendant, Gordon knows a thing or two about starting conversations with strangers. Many of her poems are inspired by her travels, and her first full-length collection of poetry, The Art of Shapeshifting, is divided into two sections: home and away. As much as she loves seeing the world, Gordon looks forward to coming home to Pilot Mountain, where she was born and raised. “It’s nice coming home and having actual community,” she says. And she isn’t taking that community for granted; as poet laureate, she’s using her talents to give back. With bachelor’s degrees in English and communications and master’s degrees in teaching and creative writing, she’s the perfect person for the task. 

Poetry can be intimidating, Gordon says, and a lot of people don’t know what a poet laureate is. “I just keep it simple. I try to do programs, teach workshops, and do things that promote poetry and literacy and the arts within the community,” she says. Last fall, she partnered with a local tea shop for a harvest haiku workshop. The store’s owner blended a custom tea for the event, and workshop participants wrote seasonal haikus inspired by the tea. Gordon also donated a book-exchange box to the community so residents and visitors could share poetry books. And even when she’s traveling for work, she stays involved by creating videos for her poem-of-the-month social media video series.

“There’s poetry out there that everyone could appreciate.”

Gordon hopes the laureate program, which started in the spring of 2025, helps people find a love of poetry. “It’s OK if you don’t like or understand every poem that you read,” she says. “There’s a million different types of poets and poems. … There’s poetry out there that everyone could appreciate.”

“There’s a poetry for you.” 

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a personal connection to this story? Did it spark a memory? Want to share your thoughts? Send us a letter, and we may include it in an upcoming issue of NC State magazine.