Poet in Residence

The Bellefonte Art Museum proudly welcomes our Poet-in-Residence, a vital voice at the intersection of language and visual art. Through readings, workshops, and written works inspired by our exhibits and community, the Poet-in-Residence brings fresh perspective to the museum experience—inviting visitors to see, feel, and reflect in new ways. This program celebrates the power of poetry to deepen engagement, foster connection, and illuminate the world around us, one carefully chosen word at a time
Introducing the Bellefonte Art Museum’s 2025 Poet-in-Residence: Kate Hoffman
The Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County is delighted to announce Kate Hoffman as our 2025 Poet-in-Residence. This residency program, inspired by initiatives like the Guggenheim’s Poet-in-Residence program, aims to integrate poetry into the museum experience, fostering deeper connections between visual art and the written word.
Kate Hoffman is currently an English teacher at Delta High School in State College and lives in downtown Bellefonte. She has written poetry since she was a child, and has been a member of the Pennsylvania Poetry Society for the past ten years. She enjoys being outside and often finds inspiration for her poems from the natural world. In her spare time, she can be found in independent bookstores, antique stores, her garden, or the woods.
Stay tuned for upcoming events and programs featuring Kate Hoffman, as we embark on a year of artistic exploration and poetic discovery at the Bellefonte Art Museum.
Poet in Residence Work
November Poetry
"Advice to Myself after Louise Erdrich" November Poem
Advice to Myself
after Louise Erdrich
Eat the bread the waitress delivers—
and butter it: both sides. And then order dessert.
Buy the expensive leather shoes—
the red ones that match nothing
in your closet.
Read for another hour, and turn
your phone face down—no, throw
it out the window.
Listen to the katydids chirping— let the lives of insects remind you
how brief life is.
Tell your friends you love them,
and strangers, too. Also tell yourself—
and believe it.
October Poetry
"Break Free" October Poem
Short sleepless nights give way to gray days
Rusty clouds and tears of rain wind through the macadam maze
Oil stains repel emotions, forever locked into a single spot
Welcoming the dawn followed by dusk when days remain hot
Give up your nights, Give up your days
Give up your sight, Give up your ways
BREAK FREE
September Poetry
"Ode to Friction" Ode to Friction
Ode to Friction
Fire cannot form
without it. Matches
do not ignite when struck
against a smooth surface.
There would be no heat, no
pleasure, without friction.
So when you speed
things up,
make
them
easier–
push
this
button
flick
this
switch–
can you comprehend
my insistence, my resistance
to the lack of resistance?