Everett Hoagland, poet and Unitarian Universalist, will be inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. The Tenth Annual Induction Ceremony to honor the writers who have been selected for inclusion in the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent will take place at Chicago State University on April 18, 2009. Writers who are selected for inclusion in the Literary Hall of Fame have produced a visible body of work that exemplifies cultural cognizance and literary excellence. The award is administered by the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing. Other inductees for 2009 include Laini Mataka and Carolyn Rodgers.

Mr. Hoagland, former poet laureate of t he city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, is a long-time member of First Unitarian Church in New Bedford. His poems have appeared in many periodicals, including the denominational magazine UU World. Some of his poems have been on liberal religious themes, notably including the poem “The Pilgrim” in his 2002 book …Here…: New and Selected Poems.