California Poet Laureate Application

Applications are closed

California Poet Laureate Overview

The California Arts Council is designated to recommend individuals to the Governor of California for the position of California Poet Laureate.

The role of the California Poet Laureate is to spread the art of poetry and encourage literacy and learning in California. The California Poet Laureate would provide a minimum of six public readings in urban and rural settings across the California and educate community, business, and state leaders about the value and importance of poetry and creative expression. Additionally, the California Poet Laureate would undertake a significant cultural project that would extend through the 2 year term. One of the goals of this project must be to bring the poetic arts to students who might otherwise have little opportunity to be exposed to poetry.

The California Poet Laureate may, and is encouraged to, coordinate his or her project with any similar project being undertaken by the current United States' Poet Laureate, and any other reasonable activities as agreed to mutually by the California Poet Laureate and the California Arts Council. After being appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate, the Poet Laureate would serve for a term of two (2) years.

How to Nominate

Exception: If a nominator does not have access to email, nominations will be accepted by mail to the following:

California Arts Council

c/o Kristin Margolis

1300 I Street, Suite 930

Sacramento, CA 95814

Nominations must contain the following:

  • A cover letter from the nominating organization or individual describing the qualifications of the nominating organization or individual.

  • The name and biography of the poet to be nominated (300 words maximum). Note: A competitive biography would include a summary of significant awards and published literary works.

  • A summary of no more than a half-page indicating why the nominator considers the poet's work to be of the highest quality and representative of the State of California;

  • Complete contact information for the nominated poet, including the following:

    • Name

    • Address

    • Email

    • Website if available

    • Phone

    • Cell Phone if available

    • High resolution photo of poet

  • Confirmation from the nominator that the poet has reviewed the job description in the California Government Code attached and agrees to the nomination.

  • Three (3) poems by the nominated poet.

Eligibility

  • Nominations shall be limited to current residents of California.

  • Nominees must have lived in California for at least 10 years.

Deadline

Nominations must be received via email by the Arts Council or postmarked by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, May 15, 2008. If you have questions please contact Kristin Margolis at kmargolis@caartscouncil.com (Nominations will not be accepted if sent to this email).

Review Criteria

The Poet Laureate will be a poet who is:

  • Recognized for excellence of his/her work;

  • Widely considered to be a poet of stature;

  • The author of a significant body of published work; and agrees to both

  • Serve at the appointment of the Governor of California, the election of the state legislature and the recommendation of the California Arts Council for a term of office of two years following August 2008, and

  • Undertake a significant cultural project that extends through the 2 year term.

Review Process

Each nomination will be reviewed by the Arts Council staff for completeness. Incomplete nominations will not be considered.

The Arts Council functions with the assistance of the peer panel review system. The Poet Laureate panel will be comprised of no less than three (3) representatives of the poetry community chosen from a pool of literature experts.

The Poet Laureate panel will create a ranked list and the California Arts Council will present the top three nominees to Governor's Office for approval.

Notes:

Nominators of the 3 poets sent to the Governor must supply a high resolution digital photo.

No nomination materials will be returned.

Return to Poet Laureate page