WORCESTER, MA – The City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division and Worcester Public Library will host an inauguration ceremony for new Worcester Poet Laureate Oliver de la Paz. The ceremony will take place from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 on the first floor of the Worcester Public Library at 3 Salem St.

“Worcester’s Poet Laureate programs are a key part of our Creative City foundation. I am excited that the public will have this opportunity to recognize and witness Oliver’s gift of giving the community a voice through his words, and to celebrate our Poets Laureate and unique cultural scene more broadly,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista.

During the inaugural event, Mayor Joseph M. Petty will award de la Paz with a ceremonial medal crafted by local metalsmith Pam Farren, commemorating the start of the new Poet Laureate’s three-year term. The public is welcome to meet Worcester’s Poets Laureate, and the ceremony will include readings by de la Paz, former Worcester Poet Laureate Juan Matos (2020-2022), former Youth Poet Laureate Amina Mohammed (2020-2021), and current Youth Poet Laureate Adael Mejia (2022-2023).

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to honor the incredible literary history of this city,” de la Paz said. “I look forward to sharing my passion for poetry with the community.”

“While I am sad to see Juan’s tenure end, I am excited to begin a new partnership with Oliver. I’m excited to be able to learn from and collaborate with such a big name in the poetry community,” said Mejia.

The ceremony will also include remarks by Jason Homer, Executive Director of Worcester Public Library. The Worcester Public Library will further celebrate the occasion with a specially curated poetry display.

“Worcester is a city with a storied history of literary talent. We are thrilled for the opportunity to host such exceptionally talented poets, and de la Paz is a fantastic contribution to that tradition,” Homer said.

Before his appointment as Poet Laureate, de la Paz authored several collections, including Names Above Houses (2001), Requiem for the Orchard (2010), and The Boy in the Labyrinth (2019). In addition to his published work, de la Paz has dedicated his career to promoting literary excellence, community engagement, and education.

Among his many experiences, de la Paz co-chairs Kundiman, a nonprofit organization that uplifts Asian-American voices in poetry, and he is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the College of the Holy Cross.

“We cannot wait to see to see what Oliver has in store,” said Yaffa Fain of the City’s Cultural Development Division. “It is deeply exciting to recognize such a talented and dedicated poet in our city, and we are eager to begin working with him.”

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share the beauty and power of self-expression with the community through poetry, especially during such unusual times,” said Matos. “Oliver is an extraordinarily talented poet and educator, and I know he will do a fantastic job as Poet Laureate.”

Learn more at the links below:

• Worcester Poet Laureate Program: worcesterma.gov/cultural-development/poet
• Worcester Poet Laureate Appearance Requests and Scheduling: forms.gle/VJmYjFhcPLRk8SMh9
• Worcester Poet Laureate Facebook Page: facebook.com/WorcesterPoet
• Worcester Youth Poet Laureate Page: facebook.com/WorcesterYouthPoet

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WORCESTER, MA – City Manager Eric D. Batista, Mayor Joseph M. Petty, the Worcester City Council, and the City’s Cultural Development Division have announced the appointment of Oliver de la Paz as the City of Worcester’s next Poet Laureate.

The award-winning poet and literary educator will serve from January 2023 to December 2025. De la Paz is the author of several published works, including The Boy in the Labyrinth (2019), Post Subject: A Fable (2014), Requiem for the Orchard (2010), Furious Lullaby (2007), and Names Above Houses (2001).

De la Paz’s first official appearance as Worcester’s Poet Laureate will be at City Manager Eric D. Batista’s Swearing-In Ceremony on Friday, Jan. 6 in the Levi Lincoln Chamber at City Hall beginning at 4 p.m. A formal event to recognize de la Paz will be announced at a later date, where he will be presented with a ceremonial medal created by local metal artist Pam Farren.

“I am thrilled to begin my term as City Manager alongside such a talented and distinguished poet. I look forward to Oliver’s tenure as the Worcester Poet Laureate and cannot wait to see what literary impact he has in store for our community,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista.

In his application to the Poet Laureate program, de la Paz noted that his work tells stories of his own family’s immigration. He hopes that these existing works will help him to “serve as a literary model for up-and-coming wordsmiths through writing workshops in conjunction with library programming for people who may not have had the opportunity to share their truths.”

Education has long been a focus for de la Paz. He earned degrees in Biology and English Literature from Loyola Marymount University and received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Arizona State University, where he was a University Graduate Scholar Fellowship Awardee. De la Paz has since taught at several universities and is currently an Associate Professor at the College of the Holy Cross.

As Poet Laureate, de la Paz looks forward to using his experiences as a poet, as an educator, and in the wider literary community to expand access to the arts in Worcester. He was a founding member of Kundiman, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting Asian-American writing. He served two terms on the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Board of Trustees. Other recognitions de la Paz has been awarded includes grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, an Artist Trust GAP Grant, and a fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts.

“I am a citizen of this community who is a lover of books and reading,” de la Paz wrote in his application. “Worcester has a storied history of having great poets live within the community, from Stanley Kunitz to Elizabeth Bishop to Chris Gilbert. I wish to teach the community about these poets whose works were profoundly influenced by this landscape.”

In addition to sharing their poetry and creating new works during their term, the Worcester Poet Laureate also serves as a mentor to the Worcester Youth Poet Laureate. Local poet and community activist Adael Mejia will continue to serve as Youth Poet Laureate until his two-year term ends in December 2023. De la Paz succeeds outgoing Poet Laureate Juan Matos, who served in the position from January 2020 to December 2022.

Reflecting on Matos’ tenure as Poet Laureate, Yaffa Fain of the City’s Cultural Development Division said he did “tremendous work,” having participated in “countless community readings, workshops in Worcester Public Schools and with the community, from the Worcester Senior Center to the Worcester Public Library to hours on Zoom. Juan is a poetic powerhouse and has served with compassion, resilience, and incredible dedication.”

“This transition is bittersweet. We’ll miss working with Juan regularly but wish him well in his next verse, which will include continuing to work with young poets in Worcester. We are looking forward to helping Oliver develop plans for his term as Poet Laureate, and to what he and Adael will accomplish together,” added Nikki Erskine, also of the City’s Cultural Development Division.

The Worcester Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate programs are initiatives of the City’s Cultural Development Division. Both Poets Laureate serve as official ambassadors to Worcester’s historic and vibrant cultures of poetry and literary arts, using their positions to share the transformative qualities of poetry and the written word, to celebrate and amplify the City’s great writers, and to help shape the next generation of literary enthusiasts.

The objectives of the City of Worcester’s Poet Laureate Programs are to:

• Enhance the presence and appreciation of poetry and literary arts in Greater Worcester;
• Celebrate the spirit of the people and special qualities of Worcester, the Creative City;
• Raise awareness of the power of literature, poetry, and the spoken word;
• Provide a forum for collaborative art forms;
• Engage and support an emerging generation of poets and spoken word artists;
• Provide access to poetry and literary arts to all sectors of the community; and
• Encourage the reading and writing of both poetry and the written word.

A four-person committee reviewed dozens of applications to the Poet Laureate program:

• Jason Homer: Worcester Public Library Executive Director, participant in American Library Association Leadership Institute, Master’s Degree in Library Science from Simmons University, Bachelor of Arts in English from Stonehill College.
• John Hodgen: Winner of multiple awards in poetry, author of Grace, In My Father’s House, and Bread Without Sorrow, visiting Assistant Professor of English at Assumption College.
• Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez: Award winning poet, recipient of multiple fellowships, author of La Pava and Edge Beast, Associate Professor of Practice in Creative Writing at Clark University, where they founded and run the Clark Poets and Writers Reading Series.
• Therese Gleason Carr: Board member of the Worcester County Poetry Association, author of poetry chapbooks Libation and Matrilineal, featured poet in multiple publications, multiple-award nominee, Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Pacific University.

For information about the Worcester Poet Laureate Program: www.worcesterma.gov/cultural-development/poet

For Worcester Poet Laureate appearance requests and scheduling: forms.gle/VJmYjFhcPLRk8SMh9

Worcester Poet Laureate Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WorcesterPoet

Worcester Youth Poet Laureate page: www.facebook.com/WorcesterYouthPoet

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Written by Devyn Forcina, Intern with the City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division, summer 2021

Supporting Worcester’s Poet Laureate program was perhaps my favorite aspect of interning with the City’s Cultural Development Division this summer. The literary arts are a personal passion of mine, and seeing poetry flourish in the Worcester community was incredibly meaningful to me. To expand on my interest in this program, I sat down with Amina Mohammed, the City of Worcester’s first Youth Poet Laureate, and the first Youth Poet Laureate in the Commonwealth.

Although our interview was conducted over Zoom, there was a palpable power to her words as she articulated the significance of poetry in her life. Each question I asked her elicited thoughtful phrases which revealed her poignant philosophies on life. I felt empowered as she expressed herself with raw and vulnerable language that conveyed her emotional strength. Her remarkable ability to put words to her experiences and ideas made me feel connected to her, and I hope that in reading her carefully chosen words, you will feel connected to her, too.

Our interview started with a general conversation about what poetry means to Amina. “For me,” Amina began, “poetry means this form of peace, and a form of combatting the stress that goes on in my life. I would say that poetry is an escape. It’s not something I do every day. When I get in that mood and get passionate about a certain topic or subject, it is like a form of releasing everything.”

Amina first began writing what she termed “my type of poetry” about three years before our interview, during her junior year of high school. Her English teacher assigned a poetry project in response to “I Hear America Singing,” a poem by Walt Whitman:

She wanted us to write a poem. How am I supposed to do this? I’m thinking she’s talking about these structures, like haikus, having to have this structured poem. She was like, not necessarily, you don’t have to do that, you can just free write. Before I didn’t think my type of poetry was allowed, didn’t think it was classified as poetry. No, poetry comes in all shapes and forms, and this would be the best way to express how you feel about this certain situation that’s going on.

Amina’s poem focused on doctors, teachers, musicians, and “unheard voices” in communities. Laughing, she remarked that she had actually procrastinated the assignment and saved it for the last minute. Despite her quick writing process, her words clearly had a lasting impact on her classmates. They approached her after class with compliments and words of praise. Her teacher also compelled her to write more poems, and Amina did: she would not turn in only one poem for future assignments, but two or three.

Amina’s writing process is similarly based on her conceptualization of poetry as a “release” or an “escape.” Writing poetry clears her mind and allows her to “zone out.” She tends to draw inspiration from her lived experiences, and quickly puts her thoughts down in her phone. Describing her process, she said, “I write everything that I’m thinking about. Give me a subject, and I think of what comes to mind and I just start writing phrases. Then I look at the phrases, what else goes with this – boom, boom, boom, what else aligns with this? I’ll copy and paste, move things around.”

While poetry helps Amina to relax, she noted that she also writes well under pressure. She shared that she was hesitant about applying for the Youth Poet Laureate role until applications were about to close, and submitted her work on the last possible day. The same teacher who assigned the “I Hear America Singing” project supported her during the application process, even though she did not have many poems to submit at that time. “What are the odds?” she paused for a moment in quiet contemplation before continuing: “This is what I always tell people: listen, anything can happen. Don’t play yourself or say you can’t do this, because what are the odds it could happen?”

Since her inauguration as Worcester’s Youth Poet Laureate in January 2020, Amina said the role has brought her, “out of her comfort zone, but for the good.” Poetry has given her a way to express herself and relate people, which she did not always think was possible when she was growing up. “On the day of the inauguration, I was shaking. In front of a crowd now, I’m just like ‘whatever, let’s go!’ I talk to people that I haven’t talked to before. Now I can have a conversation just fine, not just a bland conversation, I can go into depth and can relate and give my own commentary back.” She often reads her work at open mics and other community events, and has made many connections through those experiences. I asked her if she felt her relationship to Worcester has changed. “I value it more than I did before… I appreciate being in a community where you don’t have to wait until things get too serious or something bad happens before people get together and celebrate the unity, and celebrate the cultural differences.”

While the role has helped Amina to gain new experiences in Worcester and beyond, it has also given her perspective on some of her past experiences and helped her to “heal.” She spoke about what she meant by this for a while, and I include her whole response as to not detract from its emotional resonance:

A lot of kids, I’m speaking for me personally, we grew up having all this pain, having all this anger bottled up in us. If it wasn’t for my teacher I don’t know where I’d have been. She truly sat down with me and said “you can talk with someone, music is another way to relieve stress, or you can stick to poetry.” I know a lot of my former friends didn’t really think those things were ideal, and they went into other things to find any sort of happiness in negative things like smoking, drinking, and other stuff I don’t want to get into, never truly healing. And I feel like, this [Poet Laureate] program has in a way helped me heal myself.

These past few years have been like a healing process, and it can be for a lot of other kids… I didn’t really see it as a job but as an opportunity to grow. An opportunity to, not put my past behind me, but take from the mistakes that I have done and move forward. Everything was a learning process for me. When you have programs like this that encourage youths to you know, go out there and show the community, show the world their creativity – the pain, the anger, the happiest moment you have – bottling this into a poem like I’ve done, a lot of people will be able to relate to that. And this program is another opportunity […] to understand that there are a lot of people, even grown people, that grew up with the same struggles and pain as me, and before this, I didn’t even really think people could understand me. That’s why I was so quiet all the time. And now it’s just me realizing that I’m not alone in this battle that I’m fighting.

And I definitely feel that for the future, youths that get into this that have the same story or somewhat of the same past, I feel like this program will help them realize that through the people they meet, through the different places they might go to perform, I pray that it helps them to realize that they’re not alone. There are people like you who understand your anger. I pray that they get the same treatment as I did in that, there are people here to help you.

Amina’s description of healing and coming to terms with her past left me stunned. She communicated her emotions to me with a clarity and power that reminded me of her poems, which similarly balance vulnerability and strength. Her favorite poem, she tells me, is one she wrote for an open mic during her time as the Youth Poet Laureate titled “Change.” I invited her to share what she liked about this poem in particular:

That poem was a reminder to myself or an acknowledgement to myself: listen, things are going to happen. It’s life. Crazy things are going to happen. But that’s the beauty of this thing we call life. The situation that you are in today is not going to be the situation that you are in tomorrow or in two years. Never dwell on the past, or think too much of a sticky situation or something bad happening. And it taught me, it was basically a reminder to me that no condition is permanent. Looking back, and looking back on that poem, it is a reminder, a BIG reminder, that if I could get one moral, one moral from that poem it is that no condition is permanent. Things may go down today, and somehow, things will change for the better.

Things are changing for Amina, too. As her Youth Poet Laureate term concludes this year, I wondered what would be next for her. She plans to continue pursuing her Nursing degree at UMass Lowell, with the goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner specializing in pediatrics. She loves working with children and wants to have a greater impact on their futures. She also says that, “what’s next for me is getting out there, not just Worcester, but seeing the world for what it is, going different places, relating to different stories, and getting to know different people.” 

But what is next for Amina’s poetry? During our interview, I was consistently moved by the self-awareness and fulfillment that poetry provides her with. I told her that I hope she will keep writing, and her response was effective in its simplicity: “Poetry will always be there.”

As our interview came to a close, I looked back at my scribbles of wise words Amina had said. She had been so attentive and gracious in her responses that I had not wanted to miss anything she told me. I felt bonded with her through our mutual passion for poetry, but also through the honesty she had met my questions with. I was touched by her thoughtfulness and willingness to open up to me, especially after describing herself as historically being more reserved. What I gleaned from this interview is that Amina is a gifted young poet who observes the world around her in bold and beautiful ways. I feel pride and happiness on her behalf that the Youth Poet Laureate program has enabled her to grow and to be challenged, and has made her realize “poetry will always be there” for her in the times ahead.

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City of Worcester Announces Poet Laureate, Youth Poet Laureate

WORCESTER, MA – City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr., Mayor Joseph M. Petty, the Worcester City Council and the Office of Cultural Development have announced the appointments of the City of Worcester Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate.

The Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate will serve as official ambassadors of the City’s historic and vibrant cultures of poetry and literature, using their positions to promote local writers and the transformative qualities of poetry and the written word.

Distinguished poet, community activist, and long-time educator Juan Matos has been selected as Worcester’s next Poet Laureate, to serve from January 2020 until December 2022. Amina Mohammed, a senior at Holy Name High School, will become the first Youth Poet Laureate in Worcester as well as the first in the state of Massachusetts. Mohammad will serve from January 2020 through December 2021.

Matos and Mohammad will be presented with ceremonial medals created by local metal artist Pam Farren and will deliver their first official readings at the City’s Inaugural Exercises and Celebration on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. at Mechanics Hall.

“I am honored to be able to serve as Worcester’s Mayor for another term. To share the moment with not one, but two people who will actively contribute to and commemorate the Worcester community makes it even more special,” said Mayor Petty.

“Congratulations to both Juan and Amina, who stood out from a very talented field of applicants,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. “We are especially thrilled to have the City provide a unique opportunity for a young person to express themselves as our Youth Poet Laureate. We look forward to Amina’s voice, presence, and vision, serving as a source of inspiration for her peers to pursue creative endeavors and share their own perspectives.”

Juan Matos says poetry has always been an essential part of his life and sharing poetry is among his greatest joys. “Sharing builds bridges among generations,” he wrote after learning of his selection. “Such an important program is about more than achieving recognition; it is about celebrating poetry in the light of itself.”

Matos earned a Master’s Degree in bilingual education at Worcester State University and went on to teach Spanish Literature and ESL for 32 years, the last 22 of which in Worcester Public Schools. During this time he wrote and published 12 poetry books and anthologies, took part in local and international literary festivals, and founded several literary groups and workshops. Matos has a long record of actively advocating for poetry and the arts, and in 2019 alone was awarded a Key to the City of Worcester, the Worcester Latino Dollar for Scholars Vision Award, an Honorable Citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and the Father Miguel Bafaro Legacy Award. Other honors he has received include the Casa Cultural Dominicana de Worcester Leadership Award, a Recognition for Work in the Arts and Literature from the Rhode Island House of Representatives, and his home city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic recognized Matos as a Distinguished Son for Contributions to Literature.

Of Matos’ appointment, Cultural Development Officer Erin Williams noted that he has, “contributed significantly to the Worcester community and simultaneously gained notoriety outside the city. We’re delighted to be working with a visionary poet who embraces language and has dedicated his life to creative expression for all.”

Youth Poet Laureate Amina Mohammad grew up in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood, the daughter of an immigrant family. Her parents worked long hours to provide her and her siblings with considerable support from neighbors. “They truly showed us what community was all about,” Mohammad wrote in a personal statement. “Growing up in areas like Main South and Vernon Hill created a window for false perceptions formed about […] kids just like me. It was a constant reminder that we might never amount to anything, that kids like us are just going to end up like the rest, and that we might never break the cycle that we became products of,” said the young woman, the first Youth Poet Laureate in Massachusetts.

In addition to their shared objectives, which include public readings and creating original works, Matos’ three decades as an educator will help him serve as a mentor to Mohammad. “Young people are my greatest love,” Matos said. “I am committed to continue the cultural activism that has allowed me to inspire many young people not only in the classroom as a teacher, but as a devoted and committed writer in our city.”

The objectives of the City of Worcester’s Poet Laureate Programs are to:

• Enhance the presence and appreciation of poetry and literary arts in Greater Worcester;
• Celebrate the spirit of the people and special qualities of Worcester, the City of Innovation;
• Raise awareness of the power of literature, poetry, and the spoken word;
• Provide a forum for collaborative art forms;
• Engage and support an emerging generation of poets and spoken word artists;
• Provide access to poetry and literary arts to all sectors of the community; and
• Encourage the reading and writing of both poetry and the written word.
Matos says he is eager to, “bring my experience as a community organizer and activist to promote activities that allow youth and adults to embrace poetry and literature as part of their cultural and spiritual growth. I am planning to improve the presence of authors in schools by creating and incorporating writing workshops.”

In her two year term as Worcester’s Youth Poet Laureate, Mohammad says, “I intend to prove that life is what one makes of it and that those whom society frowns upon tend to be the ones with powerful voices, positively making a change in their communities. I want to show that, no matter what, one can take their struggles and pains and turn them into masterpieces.”

A five person committee was formed to review dozens of applications to the Poet Laureate programs:

• Alex Charalambides: Worcester-based poet, 2011 Worcester Arts Council Fellow, and Executive Director of Mass LEAP;
• Christina Connolly: adult services librarian, Worcester Public Library social services liaison and steward of its literature and poetry collection.
• Sandra Paola Cadena Pardo: scholar and visiting professor of Spanish at Holy Cross, published author of two poetry books, essay books, and the play Cuando Perros Tienen Alas.
• Christopher Reilley: former Poet Laureate of Dedham, MA, two-time Pushcart nominee, founder of Dedham Poet Society and Leicester Writers Guild, published author of three poetry books.
• Heather Treseler: associate professor of English and Presidential Fellow for Art, Education, and Community at Worcester State University, author of essays and poems appearing in numerous periodicals and publications.

* * *

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The application deadline for the Poet Laureate & Youth Poet Laureate has been extended to 9am Monday, December 9. Poets may self-nominate, or be nominated by a third party.

Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., in collaboration with the Worcester City Council and Cultural Development Division, is pleased to announce the revival of the City of Worcester Poet Laureate Program and the creation of the Youth Poet Laureate Program.

The Poet Laureate will serve a term of three years, from January 2020 through December 2022. The Youth Poet Laureate will serve a two year term, from January 2020 through December 2021.

The City of Worcester Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate will serve as official ambassadors of Worcester’s historic, vibrant poetic and literary culture, using their positions as vehicles to promote the City’s great writers and the transformative qualities of poetry and the written word throughout the community.

“As the birthplace of Pulitzer Prize winning Elizabeth Bishop and National Book Award recipient Stanley Kunitz, Worcester has a proud history of producing great poets,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. “We’re excited to bring back our Poet Laureate Program and launch a Youth Poet Laureate Program as we continue to maintain our commitment to the importance of the arts and culture within our city.”

The objectives of the City of Worcester’s Poet Laureate Programs are to:

• Enhance the presence and appreciation of poetry and literary arts in Greater Worcester;
• Celebrate the spirit of the people and special qualities of Worcester, the City of Innovation;
• Raise awareness of the power of literature, poetry, and the spoken word;
• Provide a forum for collaborative art forms;
• Engage and support an emerging generation of poets and spoken word artists;
• Provide access to poetry and literary arts to all sectors of the community; and
• Encourage the reading and writing of both poetry and the written word.

Nomination Process
The City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division will administer the nomination process for the Poet Laureate Programs through a Poet Laureate Task Force. The Task Force will establish a fair and inclusive selection process to ensure the most qualified candidates are appointed. To be considered, candidates must be nominated. The Task Force will seek nominations from an array of literary sources and individuals including, but not limited to: college and university literature and poetry departments; libraries, literary organizations, societies, and centers; poetry book organizations, publishers, and editors; primary, intermediate, and high school faculty and staff; directors of literary and poetry reading series; and non-literary members of the community. Self-nominations are also permitted and encouraged.

The Cultural Development Division will convene the Task Force, with personnel subject to change at the discretion of the City Manager. The Task Force will review nominations and make recommendations to the Cultural Development Division, who will forward to the City Manager’s Office for consideration.

The Worcester Poet Laureate Program is designed to promote appreciation of the diverse spirits and voices of Worcester’s cross-cultural communities. Both Poet Laureates will have significant connection to the Worcester community, and will be willing to foster even deeper roots throughout their term. The Youth Poet Laureate must be between 12 and 19 years of age on January 1, 2020, and demonstrate an interest in the creative arts. The Poet Laureate should demonstrate excellence in their artistic work, and will have received wide recognition with both the poetic/literary field and with their readers.

Selection Criteria
Worcester writers with deep connection to the cultural life of the City will be considered for the Poet Laureate appointment. Youth poets, age 12 to 19 as of January 1, 2020, will be considered for the Youth Poet Laureate role. Additional selection criteria include:

• The literary excellence of the author’s work;
• The impact of the author on other writers, and on the literature of Worcester and its diverse voices;
• The ability and willingness of the author to conduct required public engagement duties; and
• The local, national, and international reputation of the author and his or her work

Scoring

• 80 percent of the total score will be based on quality of artistic work samples, curriculum vitae or resume, as well as other professional accomplishments (press coverage, exhibitions, programs, etc.).
• 20 percent of the total score will be based on quality of the proposed project, such as new work ideas, community presentation, and collaborative ideas.

Term and Responsibilities – Scope of Work
Each year, Poet Laureate appointees will be expected to communicate their experience widely to peers and City communities. Over the course of the three-year appointment, renewable after the first year, the City of Worcester Poet Laureate:
• Provides no less than four school visits annually;
• Performs no less than two public readings annually. The readings may be original works created for a specific event, past work appropriate to the occasion and audience, or historic works by past Worcester poets. Events and locations may be across the City in a location designated by the City Manager or the Cultural Development Officer, such as public building dedications, public art installations, or other community events;
• Educate Worcester residents, visitors, civic and elected leaders, young people, adults, seniors, and students of all ages about the value of poetry and creative expression through self-coordinated or community-partnered events and activities, as approved by the Cultural Development Officer;
• Mentor Youth Poet Laureate; and
• Create at least one commemorative poem annually about Worcester.
Over the course of a two-year appointment, the City of Worcester Youth Poet Laureate will:
• Embark on two years of opportunities as an ambassador to literacy, arts, and youth expression, as well as a library book tour;
• Represent the City of Worcester in the public realm as deemed appropriate; and
• Create at least one commemorative poem annually about Worcester.
Honorarium
The Worcester Poet Laureate receives an annual honorarium of $1,000, to be contributed from public and private sources. This award will be based on benchmarks established in a legal contract. The Worcester Youth Poet Laureate receives a $2,500 scholarship, as well as a $500 stipend honorarium, to be contributed from private sources.

Deadline for Nominations
All nominations and applications must be received by 9 a.m. on December 9, 2019, or postmarked by December 9, 2019.

Instruction for Submitting Applications
For consideration, a completed Application Cover Sheet and all required collateral materials must be received or post marked by December 9, 2019. All materials can be found on the City of Worcester website. These items can be emailed to Culture@WorcesterMA.gov, or mailed to:

Cultural Development Officer
Attn: City of Worcester Poet Laureate Program
455 Main Street, Room 409
Worcester, MA 01608

View the Applications Online:

2019 Worcester Poet Laureate Application

2019 Worcester Youth Poet Laureate Application

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