Indiana's state poet laureate position was unofficially established in 1927 and officially created in 2005. In 2016, Shari Wagner began her two-year term as poet laureate of the state. Her work revolves around the Indiana landscape and voices of the state's historical figures. Wagner is the author of two books of poetry, most recently The Harmonist at Nightfall: Poems of Indiana (Bottom Dog Press, 2013). Her poetry has appeared in The Writer's Almanac and Best American Nonrequired Reading, and she has been awarded two fellowships from the Indiana Arts Commission. She currently teaches poetry at the Indiana Writers Center.