With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Hunt is on for new California poet laureate
Poet and university professor Juan Felipe Herrera, whose term as California poet laureate expired last year, appears at a poetry reading.
(
Steve Rhodes/Flickr (Creative Commons-licensed)
)
Listen
0:42
Hunt is on for new California poet laureate
An applicant must be a poet of stature with a significant body of published work, according to the California Arts Council. Friday is the deadline to apply.
Gov. Jerry Brown is looking for a new state poet laureate.
Since 2001, California has had an official position for the post. The state will pay the next poet laureate a stipend of $5,000 a year.
The California Arts Council manages the nomination and application process. Friday is the last day to apply or nominate a candidate.
Applicants must:
Sponsored message
• Be known for the excellence of his or her work
• Be considered widely as a poet of stature
• Have a significant body of published work
• Agree to undertake a significant cultural project to last through the two-year term.
RELATED: California's first Latino poet laureate, a son of immigrants
A panel of poets will review the applicants and nominations, narrowing the candidates to 15 to 25 people. The names of the top three candidates will be sent to the governor's office, and Brown will make a final selection to submit to the state Senate for confirmation.
From poetry readings to writing commemorative poems, the poet laureate will fill a variety of roles — including spreading the art of poetry, according to the job description.
Sponsored message
Juan Felipe Herrera, a poet and University of California-Riverside professor, last held the state poet position. His term expired last year.
Herrera organized poetry projects in schools and traveled around the state encouraging creative writing.
California is one of 44 states that has a poet laureate, according to the Library of Congress .
Details on how to apply are available on the arts council's website .
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
