title
Appoint the Town of Chapel Hill's First Poet Laureate.
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Staff:
Department:
Maurice Jones, Town Manager
Town Manager
Presenters
Allen Buansi, Member
Town Council
Rachel Schaevitz, Member
Background
Strong cultural arts initiatives are the hallmark of a vibrant community. The Town has demonstrated its support of the arts by funding arts related organizations and events, by installing public art throughout the Town and by promoting a wide array of artistic endeavors both small and large.
Poetry is an art form worthy of promotion and attention, especially given its appeal to young people. Council Members Allen Buansi and Rachel Schaevitz are now proposing the Town appoint its first Poet Laureate to help create a poetry initiative and to serve as an Ambassador for the arts in Chapel Hill.
Two of the other towns in Orange County have preceded Chapel Hill in appointing poet laureates. The Town of Carrboro has had a poet laureate since the early 2000s. Hillsborough has had a poet laureate since 2010. Chapel Hill is the only town in Orange County without a poet laureate. With the addition of a Chapel Hill Poet Laureate there is great potential for Orange County to become a magnet for poetry events, attracting even more visitors and business to the area. The primary duty of the Poet Laureate is to provide spaces and opportunities for performances and the sharing of poetry. This position requires engagement in activities that enhance the presence of poetry in the social and civic life of a town.
Chapel Hill's first poet laureate would serve and be limited to a two-year term. The Town would provide an honorarium of $2,000 for the entire two-year term. Because this would be the Town's first poet laureate, the Town would rely on the poet laureate to engage with the broader community and set the standard for organizing activities and programming related to poetry. An open application process would be developed over the next two years for the selection o...
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