2019 NOMINATION GUIDELINES

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2019 NOMINATION GUIDELINES

The Fulton County Poet Laureate serves as a literary arts ambassador who promotes the art of poetry and supports literacy and learning initiatives throughout Fulton County, Georgia.

Overview

Fulton County Arts & Culture is establishing a literary arts initiative to celebrate the art form and recognize those who create within the discipline. To this end, a major component of the literary arts initiative is the seating of a Fulton County Poet Laureate. The Fulton County Poet Laureate will have responsibility to promote the art of poetry, encourage literacy and learning and shepherd initiatives that celebrate the literary arts throughout Fulton County, Georgia. The Fulton County Poet Laureate will be expected to share an annual literary theme for during her or his term and engage a diverse constituency, enrich the lives of residents by sharing and promoting poetry through public appearances, readings, workshops and social media.

Nomination Deadline

Nomination Period - 08/01/2019 - 09/12/2019

Term of Service

The Fulton County Poet Laureate shall serve a two-year term which may be extended for up to an additional three-years.

Who May Apply

Fulton County Arts & Culture encourages all eligible candidates to self-nominate and for other members of the public to nominate eligible candidates.  Poets of all subgenres and styles will be considered.
 

Nomination Guidelines

All Fulton County Poet Laureate nominees must:
  • Must be at least 21 years of age at the time of nomination
  • Have been a Fulton County resident for at least 3 years prior to the nomination deadline and remain a resident throughout the poet laureate term
  • Must be committed to bringing poetry to a wide range of places and people
  • Must be able and available to reach Fulton County audiences through travel or other means
  • Provide evidence of achievement in the art of poetry, including having a body of publicly accessible work (books, literary magazines, and/or social media)
  • Must be prepared to assume the public role required of the poet laureate


Nomination Requirements

The following four items are required as part of each nomination:
  1. A completed nomination form via the online nomination process.  The online form will include:  
(a) Contact information for the nominator and the nominated poet, including mailing address, phone numbers and e-mail address, and
(b) If the nomination is not by the poet, a statement verifying that the nominator has contacted the nominated poet and that the poet has reviewed the expectations of the position and agrees to the nomination.  
  1. Biographical sketch, résumé or curriculum vitae, not to exceed one page, which includes any special honors, awards, fellowships, or other recognition.
  2. The submission should consist of a Work Sample (published or unpublished) of up to 3 poems, not to exceed 5 pages, with no more than one poem per page. The work sample may be written or audio. If written work, the sample must include a cover sheet with name and a list of poetry titles and content. The work sample may contain information that indicates where the poem has been published or performed or if it has received any awards for merit.  The poems submitted should be of the highest quality and can be from any time period.
  3. If you submit an audio work sample of up to 3 poems instead of a written one, you may also submit a transcript of the poem(s) performed, not to exceed 5 pages as stated above.
  4. A narrative, not to exceed two (2) pages, describing
(a) Why the nominee wishes to be considered,
(b) What the nominee would hope to accomplish during the two years as the Fulton County Poet Laureate, and
(c) The theme to be explored during the initial year of service and ideas for any special projects related to the position.  
*Please note that the items specified in Sections 2, 3 and 4 above must be in 12-point font, with 1" margins on all sides, and formatted to fit 8 1/2" x 11" paper (no photocopies from publications will be accepted).

Recommendation letters are not appropriate and will not be considered.

Failure to provide all required materials results in automatic ineligibility.

How to Submit a Nomination
All nominations, including self-nominations, should be submitted via the online application form at https://fcacpoet.artcall.org by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the submission deadline.  

INELIGIBLE NOMINEES

  • Previous or Current State of Georgia Poet Laureates
  • Fulton County Employees, Contractors or advisory board members


Selection Criteria

  • A prior record of high quality, published or documented work
  • Ability and willingness to conduct the public engagement and outreach duties of the appointment
  • Demonstration of excellence in their artistic work
  • Capacity to foster public appreciation of and participation in poetry through readings, public presentations and/or teaching in diverse communities
  • Ability to advance poetry in Fulton County as evidenced by an established history of activity in the Fulton County literary community through readings, publications, public presentations and/or teaching
  • Agree to the conditions and terms of the appointment


Selection Process

  1. Fulton County Arts & Culture will convene a Literary Arts Committee to adjudicate all submitted applications and select three (3) semi-finalists.
  2. Each semi-finalist will be interviewed in person by the Literary Arts Committee, which will make a recommendation to the Fulton County Arts Council
  3. The Fulton County Arts Council will provide a recommendation for Poet Laureate, Subject to final approval by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners
  4. The Fulton County Poet Laureate will be notified when the Fulton County Board of Commissioners approve
  5. Fulton County Arts & Culture will announce the Fulton County Poet Laureate upon receipt of approval by the Board of Commissioners.


Expectations of the Position

The Fulton County Poet Laureate is expected to:
  • Celebrate the written and spoken poetic voices of Fulton County residents by using the appointment as a platform from which to illuminate not only his, her or their own work, but also the work of other writers in Fulton County
  • Contribute to the growth, access and awareness of poetry throughout Fulton County
  • Encourage both the reading and writing of literature
  • Use the art of poetry to enlighten, educate, entertain, transform and inspire established and emerging generations of literary artists and readers of literature
  • Participate in at least 4 literary events and 4 educational programs in schools in Fulton County
  • Promote poetry and the Fulton County Poet Laureate position via official social media accounts
  • Prepare and provide a written report of activities every six months to the Literary Arts Committee
  • Create a substantial new work commemorating the Fulton County through works that speak to, for and of County
  • Collaborate with other city and state poets when possible