Remember how the Mayor said there was no money to pay the firefighters. But somehow the city has money for this...
The position will run from April 2021 to April 2023 & pays $20,000.
From the City’s press release:
"Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Director of Houston Public Library (HPL), Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson, are pleased to announce the search for the City of Houston's next poet laureate.
The Poet Laureate Program celebrates Houston's rich culture and diversity through the work of a Houston poet who serves as the City's ambassador for the literary arts. The Houston poet laureate's role is to stimulate poetic impulse, foster appreciation of poetry in all its forms, and serve Houston residents and visitors with expressions of culture through words...
"Right now, perhaps more than ever, Houston needs the power of community offered through written or spoken word poetry," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "We look forward to finding and announcing our City's fifth poet laureate, whose words will bring us together in spirit and inspire us to be resilient in the coming years."
"The Houston Public Library is so pleased to partner with the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs again to welcome Houston's next poet laureate. We have so many Houstonians who are passionate about poetry and community, and we encourage them to submit their poetic works to support our effort in celebrating Houston's diversity and elevating this art form," said Dr. Lawson. "It's a great opportunity, especially during these challenging times, to have this citywide platform for poets to share not only their invaluable talent, but also their voice."
During a two-year appointment, the poet laureate makes several guest appearances at special events and completes a feature project. Houston's most recent poet laureate, Leslie Contreras Schwartz, created Bayou City Broadsides, which are one-page artistic displays of lines from poems of everyday Houstonians. Houston's 2017-2019 Poet Laureate Deborah "D.E.E.P." Mouton created community performance poetry videos highlighting various Houston neighborhoods. Houston's 2015-2017 Poet Laureate Dr. Robin Davidson developed an anthology book of Houston residents' favorite poetry, and Gwen Zepeda, Houston's 2013-2015 poet laureate, created the Houston Poet Laureate's social media platforms."