Call for Middletown's First Poet Laureate

Mayor Daniel T. Drew and the Middletown Commission on the Arts present a
Call for Nominations for Middletown's First Poet Laureate

Submission deadline is Friday at 4:30 p.m. on September 18, 2015.
Download or print the Poet Laureate Nomination Form and review the Description and Selection Process.

Suggested to the Mayor in a letter by two Macdonough School students of teacher John Ferrero - Sasha Zipf and Todd Archer in September of 2014 and acted upon by the Mayor and the Middletown Commission on the Arts, the City is seeking it's first Poet Laureate.

Qualifications:

• Nominees must be at least 18 years of age at the time of appointment
• The poet Laureate must have a strong desire to be actively engaged in the community by performing his or her own work and/or sharing his or her own work and talent with the public.
• Poets may self-nominate or be nominated by a Middletown resident.
• Nominees may not be MCA Commissioners or Staff.
• Nominees must be full time Middletown residents for at least one year prior to the nomination date.
• Nominees must be experienced in the field of poetry and able to fulfill the required duties of the position.

Poet Laureate Opportunities:

• A reception in his or her honor.
• Promote awareness of poetry in Middletown by participating in city and statewide events as an official representative of the City of Middletown.
• Promote at least one public event per year or as requested by the Mayor and/or the MCA.
• Foster public appreciation of and participation in poetry and literary arts activities in schools, colleges and the local literary community.
• Represent Middletown within the Connecticut Coalition of Poets Laureate.

Terms of service:

• The City Poet Laureate will serve for a term of 3 years with the possibility of renewal.
• As an official representative of the City of Middletown, the Poet Laureate must maintain Middletown residency during his or her term.
• The City Poet Laureate will be a nonvoting Member of the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

Process:

To be considered for the position of Middletown's Poet Laureate, along with the application form, please provide the information requested below as attachments (Word, PDF, JPEG) to the City Arts Office.
Submission deadline is Friday at 4:30 p.m. on September 18, 2015.
Download or print the Poet Laureate Nomination Form and review the Description and Selection Process.

• Resume or CV
• A selection of work samples in print or online
• An expression of intent including specific availability for fulfilling the role
• Contact information for three personal references

Any questions can be directed to Stephan Allison, Coordinator, City Arts Office, email stephan.allison@middletownct.gov, phone 860-638-4510.

Procedure:

Following the review and interview process, the MCA Poet Laureate Selection Committee will make its recommendation to the MCA who will formally request the appointment by the Mayor. We hope to appoint the Poet Laureate in October, 2015.