We’re a city of writers, don’t we all know it.
Now Chicago hopes to crown a citywide poet.
Announced Wednesday by Lightfoot and the Poetry Foundation,
the winner will come from your nominations.
The Laureate will serve for two busy years,
and get $50,000 along with our cheers.
Ahem. That is to say, an announcement from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Public Library, as well as the Mayor’s Office and Chicago-based Poetry Foundation, spells out a new Chicago Poet Laureate program and a bid to select the city’s first official Poet Laureate.
Along with the program heralding Chicago’s “historic contributions to the literary arts,” according to DCASE, the chosen poet will serve a two-year term and receive a grant of $50,000 “for the commissioning of new poems and for the creation of a public program series, including programs for youth and students.” They also will serve as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities.
Chicagoans are invited to submit their nominations for the post by Jan. 18 (at surveymonkey.com/r/chicagopoet). Nominees can be a poet in either written or spoken traditions, with eligibility requirements listed at chicago.gov/PoetLaureate.
After an initial review process, eligible nominees will be invited to formally apply, with the goal to appoint a Poet Laureate by spring. Poets must have “at least four published works and/or performances,” along with other requirements. In April (National Poetry Month), the Laureate will present work as part of the Chicago Public Library’s annual Poetry Fest.
“Chicago has always been a city full of talented and renowned storytellers and artists,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in part in the announcement. “I look forward to selecting a Poet Laureate who will serve and strengthen our city’s literary and creative communities.”
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