The city is seeking submissions from folks interested in serving as New Westminster’s next poet laureate.
A call for submissions states the poet laureate, through public readings, presentations and engagement opportunities, strives to reflect the life and diversity of the city, to share and promote the value of literary arts with all residents and to stimulate dialogue, learning and connection around issues and ideas that are important to the community.
“The City of New Westminster is accepting submissions from local writers (poets, spoken word artists and storytellers) with diverse voices and perspectives in consideration for the city’s poet laureate program. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) and equity-seeking literary artists are strongly encouraged to apply for this opportunity,” said the call for submissions. “The term ‘equity seeking’ refers to those in the community that face entrenched marginalization due to attitudinal, historic, social and environmental barriers including age, ethnicity, disability, economic status, gender, nationality, race, sexual orientation or transgender status.”
It’s expected the poet laureate will present imaginative and insightful work at select public events, engage with the community through initiatives that inspire participation in and appreciation of the literary arts and conceptualize, develop and implement a legacy project that builds upon their engagement initiatives
The deadline for submissions is Thursday, April 1. The poet laureate, an honorary position running from 2021 to 2024, includes a $2,500 annual honorarium and a $1,000 annual budget to support the laureate’s engagement initiatives.
Details about the eligibility criteria, submission details can be found at www.tinyurl.com/NWPoetLaureate.
