About

​     Lao Rubert lives in Durham, North Carolina. Her poems have appeared in the Atlanta Review, Cider Press Review, The Avenue, Moth & Rust, Poetry East and elsewhere.  Her poetry includes themes of incarceration, violence, relationships and nature.  It also celebrates those working to survive and change conditions that lead to violence and despair. You can find her published work in the Poems page of this website.​​

​

​     In addition to poetry, Rubert has spent a career working to reform the criminal punishment system and continues to develop and promote re-entry resources in Durham, NC.  You'll find this work reflected in many of her poems.

​

     Rubert has taught in the federal prison system, Poets in the Schools, and at Durham Technical Community College. In 1974, she taught the first Women's Literature course at Duke University. She holds degrees in English from Duke and the University of Missouri.  ​​​​​​