Poet Laureate will serve as an advocate for literature and for literacy

Cobourg, ON (December 11, 2023) – The Town of Cobourg’s Poet Laureate Nominating Ad Hoc Committee is seeking the town’s next Poet Laureate and invites interested community members to apply.

Each term of Council appoints a Poet Laureate to express the importance of literature, language and all arts and culture within the Town of Cobourg. The position of Poet Laureate serves to complement the development and promotion of Cobourg as a cultural community and is appointed to acknowledge the individual's accomplishment in poetry and to recognize a champion for all the literary arts, particularly poetry and other literary forms.

The Poet Laureate acts as literary ambassador for the Town of Cobourg and writes one new and original poem in each year of their appointment that addresses or reflects one or more aspects of life in Cobourg, to be read on the occasion of the Mayor's annual New Year's Levy and the Inaugural event on the year of a Municipal election.

The Poet Laureate will be expected to participate in the strong and thriving literary life of our Town; the Laureate is free to determine which specific activities will be pursued in this area and in consultation with the Mayor. The Poet Laureate's efforts should also ensure that our community encourages self-expression by youth through spoken word and written poetry.

Preferred Candidates should:

• Be willing to fulfill the duties of the position;
• Display literary excellence and significant ability in composing poetry;
• Hold a record of high achievement in poetry demonstrated by peer and/or public recognition;
• Have a published book of poetry and/or a history of publication in literary
• Periodicals, print or digital and/or performance;
• Live and/or work in the Town of Cobourg or currently pay taxes to the municipality.

The position of Poet Laureate was established in 1997 by the Municipal Council of the Town of Cobourg. As a result of various activities set in motion by Eric Winter, Cobourg's First Poet Laureate, people across Ontario and Canada now consider the Town of Cobourg as a "go to" place for poetry.

How to Apply
Candidates are invited to submit a letter of interest along with their resume and three samples of their work to clerk@cobourg.ca no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2024.

Letters of interest should detail the candidate’s vision for the 2022 – 2026 appointment term including how they will elevate the position of the Town of Cobourg Poet Laureate and engage the community through the language arts.

Peer-Nomination
Additionally, if a member of the community knows of anyone who may be interested and qualified in the position of Poet Laureate, they may submit a nomination on that person’s behalf. As per above, the nomination must include three samples of that individuals work for the Committee to review. If the Committee believes the individual is a candidate for the position, the Committee will follow up with the nominee to confirm their level of interest before they move onto phase two of the nomination process.

The Poet Laureate Nominating Ad Hoc Committee will review all submissions. A short list of candidates will be welcome to have an in-person interview and to present an original piece of work for the Ad Hoc Committee. Upon final review and deliberation, the Ad Hoc Committee will present a letter of recommendation to the Town of Cobourg Council for the official appointment of the Poet Laureate. To view the full Terms of Reference for the Poet Laureate, visit Cobourg.ca/PoetLaureate.

-30-