marcus amaker takes daily naps. He’s a dad, husband, Charleston’s first Poet Laureate, a graphic designer, an opera librettist, and an Academy of American Poets fellow.

In 2024, he was inducted into the S.C. Literary Hall of Fame and included on a list of favorite poets in America by Literary Hub and WildSam. In 2019, he received a Fresh Voice in the Humanities Governor’s award in South Carolina. In 2023 he was named an Emanuel Nine Humanitarian Award Honoree, and the 2024 readers of the Charleston City Paper voted him as Best Local Poet.

He’s published 12 books, released 45 albums of electronic music, and three albums with Quentin E. Baxter, a two-time GRAMMY® Award winner. He was also the graphic designer of the national bluegrass music journal, No Depression, for eight years.

His work has been recognized by The Lexington Philharmonic, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Washington Post, The Gaillard Center, PBS Newshour, NPR, Button Poetry, Spoleto, American Poets Magazine, The Kennedy Center, American Book Review, and more.

His re-written version of “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” was used by the Washington National Opera for President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. His graphic design and written work is on five GRAMMY®-nominated albums, and he is a member of BMI and the Recording Academy. Marcus’ original opera, The Weight of Light, debuted in Chicago in 2024.

In 2025, MacArthur Fellow “Genius Grant” winner, GRAMMY® winner, and Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens sang marcus’ words on the GRAMMY®-nominated album Songs in Flight by his friend and collaborator, Shawn Okpebholo.