Poet Laureate Program Application 2014

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Introduction and Program Overview

The City of West Hollywood through its Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission is pleased to announce the creation of the City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate Program. For more information on WeHo Arts and Cultural Programs please visit www.weho.org/arts

West Hollywood, also known as the Creative City, prides itself on its dedication to its creative class, and to a vital and thriving arts community, as is shown in the City’s Core Value: Idealism, Creativity and Innovation.

The City has demonstrated a commitment to the literary arts with the building of a new Library building, creation of the WeHo Reads community reading celebration, annual participation in World Book Night, inclusion of literary events in the One City One Pride LGBTQ arts festival, support of various book clubs and author readings, and other literary artistic endeavors. West Hollywood is pleased to add this new program to augment its array of arts and cultural affairs programs.

The City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate will serve for a term of two years. The first Poet Laureate honored with this distinction will serve from September 2014 – September 2016.

City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate Program Objectives

The City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate serves as the official ambassador of West Hollywood’s vibrant literary culture, using his or her position as a platform from which to promote poetry in West Hollywood, the transformative qualities of poetry, and the written word throughout all parts of the community.

The objectives of the City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate Program are to:

· Enhance the presence and appreciation of poetry and the literary arts in West Hollywood;

· Create a focal point for the expression of West Hollywood culture through the literary arts;

· Raise awareness of the power of literature, poetry, and the spoken word in West Hollywood;

· Provide educational opportunities for students and adults regarding the literary arts;

· Contribute to the professional growth of the selected Poet Laureate;

· Promote partnership with the West Hollywood Library;

· Provide a forum for "cross pollination" of art forms;

· Celebrate the spirit of the people and the special qualities of West Hollywood;

· Inspire an emerging generation of literary artists; and

· Highlight the City of West Hollywood through the literary arts and create, over a period of time, a new body of literary works that commemorate the diversity and vibrancy of our City.

Guiding Principles for the Nomination Process

· The City will establish a fair and inclusive selection process;

· Poets that live or work in West Hollywood may be nominated by a Task Force member, by someone from the field, or may submit qualifications to the Task Force in care of the Economic Development Division;

· The West Hollywood Poet Laureate Program will promote an appreciation of the spirit of diversity that is representative of West Hollywood’s multicultural communities;

· Candidates for the position of Poet Laureate should demonstrate excellence in their artistic work and have received wide recognition in the professional community and with readers alike; and

· The Laureate will have significant ties to the West Hollywood community and be willing to foster even greater connections to West Hollywood.

These guidelines and application instructions are intended to spread the word about this important opportunity and encourage nominations from throughout our community. We invite you to engage in the nominating process for the City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate.

Nomination/Selection Process

The West Hollywood Library Cultural Programming Committee administers the selection process for the City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate Program. The Library Cultural Programming Committee is comprised of representatives from the City of West Hollywood and its Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission; the West Hollywood branch of the LA County Public Library; the Friends of the West Hollywood; and the West Hollywood Library Foundation.

Self-nominations are permitted as are nominations from the community. The Task Force will seek nominations from a broad array of literary sources and individuals, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

· University and college literature and poetry departments;

· Libraries, literary organizations, societies, and centers;

· Poetry book organizations, publishers, and editors;

· Directors of literary and poetry reading series; and

· Independent book sellers who stock and strongly support contemporary poetry.

The West Hollywood Library Cultural Programming Committee with the addition of one or more members from the local literary/educational community will serve as the inaugural Selection Committee for the Program and shall make every effort to ensure the information regarding the solicitation of nominations is broadly distributed. Nominations received by the deadline are vetted by the Economic Development Division designated staff for the program and then submitted to the Selection Committee for consideration. The Selection Committee will forward their recommendations for Poet Laureate to the Performing Arts and Cultural Affairs Subcommittee and Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission.

Selection Criteria

Only writers with deep connections to the cultural life of the City of West Hollywood will be considered. Additional criteria required for the Poet Laureate include:

· The literary excellence of the writer’s work;

· The impact of the writer on other writers and on the literature of West Hollywood in all its diversity;

· The ability and willingness of the writer to conduct the public engagement duties of the office; and

· The city, state, national, and international reputation of the writer and the writer’s work;

Scoring

80 points - for artistic quality of work samples; curriculum vitae or resume; and other professional accomplishments (press coverage, exhibition programs).

20 points - for quality of proposed projects (new work ideas, community presentation, collaboration ideas, or all of the above).

Term and Responsibilities/Scope of Work

The City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate is appointed every two years and works with the City of West Hollywood’s Economic Development Division to carry out his or her duties. Each year, Poet Laureate awardees will be expected to communicate widely about the experience to their peers and communities. Over the course of the two-year appointment, renewable after the first year, the City of West Hollywood Poet Laureate shall, as part of their duties, organize or participate in no less than three poetry-related events/activities per year, including at least one event to be held during April, National Poetry Month. Appropriate events/activities could include:

· Leading a poetry or literature-related educational workshop in West Hollywood.

· Organizing a poetry reading or other literary event in West Hollywood.

· Reading of a poem at a Mayoral installation or other official City event as approved by the Economic Development Division, City Manager’s and/or Mayoral office.

· Creation of and publishing an original poem celebrating West Hollywood.

· Leading literary arts education programs at schools in the West Hollywood area.

Term will be served for 2 years with an annual stipend of $1,500 per year based on completing the duties set forth for the Poet Laureate.

Honorarium

The West Hollywood Poet Laureate receives a $1,500 annual grant from the City of West Hollywood. This award will be made available in 2 payments of $750 based on benchmarks established in a legal contract. After the first year’s $1,500 contract is completed and a review of the Laureate’s work is conducted by the Economic Development Division and/or Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission to determine if he or she has successfully completed the Terms and Responsibilities outlined above, an extension of the contract for a second year will be considered based on the Poet Laureate meeting the described scope of work.

Full legal name of proposed candidate:*

Professional Name (if different):

Residence Address (within City of West Hollywood or LA County):*

Work Address (within City of West Hollywood or LA County):*

Contact Phone Number:*

Website Address:*

Please attach a submission portfolio or include a web link to a professional website including select poems or books of poems, other literary work that your nominee or you have produced, press coverage, etc. You may also provide web links that connect to your work. Please submit no more than five items.*

Item One:

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Item Two:

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Item Three

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Item Four:

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Item Five:

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Please submit an artist narrative. If nominating someone, please work with your nominated candidate to answer the same questions as self-nominated writers because the City needs a complete proposal signed and certified by each candidate for the position. If nominating yourself, the narrative may include a brief artist’s statement or personal philosophy and state how you meet the stated criteria and goals of the program. Describe some recent and relevant work.*

Describe your, or the proposed candidate's connection to West Hollywood. Please emphasize any poetry or literature events that you have participated in that took place in or within walking distance of West Hollywood. If the candidate lives in or has done other work such as volunteered, or otherwise been a integral part of the West Hollywood Community, please describe in what ways below.*

Describe the programming you would propose for the City if selected as the Poet Laureate. Please refer to the Term and Responsibilities/Scope of Work described above for what is required of the position. Please be as detailed as you can. At least one, but preferably two, of the poet's proposed programs should be other than a reading at an existing City event or Mayoral Installation, since we cannot tell how many City events would be able to accomodate a reading, and a variety of programming and outreach is desired)*

If the proposed poet laureate is being proposed by someone other than the nominee, please enter your information below:

Name of Person Making Nomination:

Contact Email Address of Person Making Nomination:

Phone Number of Person Making Nomination:

Residence Address of Person Making Nomination:

Work Address of Person Making Nomination:

Certification - I certify that the information contained in this nomination/application, including all attachments and supporting materials, is true and correct. I understand that if awarded a grant I would be financially, administratively, and programmatically responsible for all aspects of the services including proper documentation, invoicing and reporting. Furthermore, I understand that the City of West Hollywood maintains the right to cancel this program opportunity for any reason prior to offering program contracts. By signing below you are certifying you have read and agree to the above statement.

check to certify the above information is correct.

West Hollywood Poet Laureate Program Application/Nomination