On The Hunt For the Next Poet Laureate

November 2nd, 2012

The Community Arts Partnership (CAP) is currently seeking nominations for the 2013 Tompkins County Poet Laureate. The title of "Poet Laureate" is a time-honored tradition. In 1668, England officially established the post as a royal office. In 1937 the US created the position as a national one. The position of Tompkins County Poet Laureate was established by the County Legislature in 2001 to honor local outstanding poets, integrate poetry into the community, enrich the education of our young people, and enhance the County's position as a cultural center.

"Given our literary pedigree, it's no surprise that Tompkins was one of the first counties in the nation to have such an official post," says Brett Bossard, Executive Director of the Community Arts Partnership. Since its establishment, the selection and announcement of the Tompkins County Poet Laureate has been a process administered by CAP, which solicits nominations and organizes the selection panel that considers the appointment.

Appointments to the position are for one-year terms, but precedent allows for one additional consecutive one-year term, based on the availability of the poet. The honorary position is without salary, but programmatic stipends may be available depending on grant funding. According the guidelines for nomination, prospective poets laureate must:

1. Be a resident of Tompkins County for at least two years.
2. Be a published author with a body of high quality work.
3. Be comfortable in the performance of poetry for the public.
4. Be interested in presenting a sense of the community through poetry.
5. Be willing to advocate and educate people about poetry.

 
Nominations for the post can come from individuals, organizations, or even the poets themselves. Nomination packets need only to include a cover letter from the nominator identifying the nominator and/or the nominating organization with the recommendations of the nominee; the name and short biography of the poet nominated with contact info and a statement of interest by the poet (if not self-nominating); and three to six poems by the poet. Nominations must be submitted by November 30^th via mail or in person to the Community Arts Partnership, 171 East State Street, PMB 107, Ithaca, NY 14850 or electronically to director@artspartner.org. Documents, including official guidelines for the post and the original Tompkins County Legislature resolution creating the position, are available for download here.