The poet laureate of New Jersey (statutorily known as New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit) was an honor presented biennially by the Governor of New Jersey to a distinguished New Jersey poet. Created in 1999, this position existed for less than four years and was abolished by the legislature effective July 2, 2003. When the New Jersey State Legislature created the laureate position, the bill provided specifically for the creation of an award named in honor of twentieth-century poet and physician William Carlos Williams (1883–1963) who resided in Rutherford, New Jersey. However, the legislature recognized that the award's recipient would "be considered the poet laureate of the State of New Jersey for a period of two years." Before the position was abolished, only two poets, Gerald Stern and Amiri Baraka, had been appointed as the state's poet laureate.

The legislature's bill was signed into law by Governor Christine Todd Whitman. It was expected that the award's recipient—the poet laureate—would "engage in activities to promote and encourage poetry within the State and shall give no fewer than two public readings within the State each year." In this respect, New Jersey's poet laureate was similar to the position of Poet laureate in other American states and in several other countries. However, a public reading in September 2002 by the state's second laureate, Newark-based poet Amiri Baraka, of his poem "Somebody Blew Up America" was met with harsh criticism by the public and news media. The poem, which explores the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, was criticized by many as violent, incendiary, and antisemitic, and the ensuing controversy ignited a political firestorm. Because of Baraka's defiant refusals to apologize or resign as poet laureate and since there was no mechanism in the law to remove him, the position was abolished by the legislature and Governor James E. McGreevey in 2003.

Establishing the position (1998–2000)

On December 10, 1998, Assemblyman Richard H. Bagger and Assemblyman Leonard Lance introduced legislation in the New Jersey General Assembly to establish an award, the New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit, "which the Governor will present biennially to a distinguished New Jersey poet."New Jersey Legislature. "An Act establishing the New Jersey 1 State William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit for distinguished New Jersey poets, supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes and making an appropriation" A.2417 (1998). Retrieved December 25, 2013.New Jersey Legislature. "Senate State Government, Banking and Financial Institutions Committee Statement to Assembly Committee Substitute for Assembly, No. 2714" (1999). Retrieved December 25, 2013. The award was named to honor William Carlos Williams (1883–1963), a National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and physician who practiced medicine in his birthplace of Rutherford, New Jersey.Casey, Phil, "Poet Williams Dies of Stroke: Works in 40 Volumes Likened to Chekhov Physician First Linked to Subversives", The Washington Post and Times-Herald, March 5, 1963, B4. Retrieved February 19, 2014.Mariani, Paul L., William Carlos Williams: A New World Naked (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1981), passim. According to the bill, the recipient would receive a $10,000 honorarium and be considered the poet laureate of the State of New Jersey. This legislation, Assembly Bill No. 2714, passed the General Assembly on March 29, 1999, with 72 votes in favor, 2 votes opposed. On June 21, 1999, the New Jersey State Senate voted 39 in favor and none opposed.Note that The New Jersey State Legislature does not provide distinct web addresses for its transactions on specific bills. However, at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp click on "Bills 1998–1999" and search for "A2714" for vote tallies and historical information regarding its passage. The bill was signed into law by Governor Christine Todd Whitman on October 4, 1999.State of New Jersey. P.L. 1999, c. 228 "An Act establishing the New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit, supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes and making an appropriation" (1999). Upon enactment, this bill's provisions were codified as New Jersey Statutes (N.J.S.) 52:16A-26.9. Retrieved December 25, 2013.

The statute provided that every two years, a panel of four persons from New Jersey "who are either distinguished poets or persons who represent a range of stylistic approaches in the field of poetry" and chosen by "the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, in consultation with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts", would convene to select candidates for the consideration of the state's governor. After the first appointment of a poet laureate, each subsequent nominating panel would include the incumbent poet laureate as a fifth member. The governor alone would appoint the poet laureate by presenting him or her with the New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit.

Pursuant to statute, the state's poet laureate would serve for a term of two years in which the person appointed would be required to "engage in activities to promote and encourage poetry within the State and shall give no fewer than two public readings within the State each year."

First poet laureate (2000–2002) Poet Gerald Stern (1925–2022), from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, was appointed as the state's first poet laureate by Governor Christine Todd Whitman on April 17, 2000.John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Fellows: Gerald Stern, 1980 - US & Canada Competition Creative Arts - Poetry. Biography . Retrieved December 25, 2013. At the time of his appointment, Stern had been the author of twelve books of poetry and won the National Book Award for his 1998 collection This Time: New and Selected Poems.National Book Foundation. National Book Awards - 1998. Retrieved December 25, 2013.Gay, Ross. 1998: This Time: New and Selected Poems By Gerald Stern (April 15, 1998). Stern had been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1991 for his collection Leaving Another Kingdom.The Pulitzer Prizes. Poetry: Winners and Finalists. Retrieved January 12, 2014. Poet and Drew University literature professor Ross Gay described Stern's work, saying that his poems "feel to me, often, a bit like that story, or rather, his manner of telling it: here is my pain, here is my sorrow, here is the song I've made of it." Stern's last public reading as poet laureate was held on June 27, 2002 at a Summer Writer's Conference held at Rutgers Universitys Camden campus.Wagman, Jake. "With his free spirit, free verse Poet laureate's term ending", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 2002. Retrieved January 12, 2014.

Second poet laureate (2002–2003) Appointment of Amiri Baraka

Governor Jim McGreevey had announced the appointment of Newark-born poet Amiri Baraka (1934–2014) as the state's second poet laureate on August 28, 2002 although his selection was expected at least two months earlier.Mansnerus, Laura. "McGreevey Could Fire Poet Under Proposed Legislation", The New York Times, October 8, 2002. Retrieved January 12, 2014.Purdy, Matthew. "New Jersey Laureate Refuses to Resign Over Poem", The New York Times, September 28, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2013. Baraka, born Everett Leroy Jones, was an African-American poet, playwright, and author of fiction, essays and music criticism. Baraka's poetry and writing has attracted both acclaim and condemnation. Within the African-American community, critics compare him to James Baldwin and call Baraka one of the most respected and most widely published Black writers of his generation.Salaam, Kaluma. "Historical Overviews of The Black Arts Movement" in The Oxford Companion to African American Literature, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997); see also Nelson, Cary (editor). Modern American Poetry: An Online Journal and Multimedia Companion to Anthology of Modern American Poetry, (Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002; Web edition: November 11, 2012). Others have said that his work often ventures into expressions of violence, racism, homophobia, and misogyny—particularly his advocacy of rape, hate, and violence towards women, homosexuals, Caucasians, and Jews.Watts, Jerry Gafio, Amiri Baraka: The Politics and Art of a Black Intellectual (New York: New York University Press, 2001); Smith, David L., "Amiri Baraka and the Black Arts of Black Art", boundary 2. Vol. 15, No. 1/2 (Autumn 1986), 235–254; Rowell, Charles H., "An Interview With Henry Louis Gates, Jr", Callaloo. Vol. 14, No. 2 (Spring 1991), 444–463; Ross, Marlon B., "Camping the Dirty Dozens: The Queer Resources of Black Nationalist Invective", Callaloo, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender: Literature and Culture 23(1) (Winter 2000), 290–312.

The previous poet laureate, Gerald Stern, said that he advocated for Baraka's selection because he "thought it was important for the black community to get recognition." Slate.com political reporter David Weigel said that McGreevey's selection of Baraka "was a no-brainer—he was a sort of icon, and a major figure within a constituency McGreevey counted on".Weigel, David. "RIP Amiri Baraka, Who Was Once at the Center of a New Jersey Scandal", Slate, January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014. Note: Weigel was insinuating that McGreevey's selection of Baraka was an act of pandering to African-American voters, largely Democratic party supporters, in the state's largest city. At a ceremony in August 2002, Baraka warned McGreevey that the decision to appoint him as poet laureate might be a mistake because of his controversial views, saying "You're gonna catch hell for this".Chawkins, Steve. "Amiri Baraka dies at 79; provocative poet lauded, chided for social passion", The Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.Asante, M.K., Jr., It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation, (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008), 60; which claims Baraka's warning was "You're gonna get in trouble". Retrieved January 12, 2014. After Baraka's death in January 2014, McGreevey said, "I named him poet laureate because I appreciated his art, his intelligence and his creative energy. I've always had great personal affect(ion) for him and recognized him as a gifted creative force."Sullivan, Al. "McGreevey hails Baraka as a great artist", Hudson Reporter, January 10, 2014. Note: The original article stated "I've always had great personal affected for him"—rendered here under the assumption that "affected" was a typographical error and the intended word was "affection". Retrieved January 12, 2014.

Controversy over "Somebody Blew Up America"