Calling All Poets – The City is Looking to Fill its Top Poetry Post

If poetry is your passion, serving as the City of Mississauga’s next Poet Laureate may be the job for you.

The honorary position recognizes a poet who writes poetry or spoken word and has written on themes that are relevant to Mississauga residents. The position will begin in April 2017 and run through March 2019.

The successful candidate will focus on three key objectives:

• serve as a literary ambassador for the City of Mississauga to audiences both within and outside of the city;
• raise the profile of writers in Mississauga; and
• create an artistic legacy through public readings and civic interactions.

The position is currently held by the City’s first Poet Laureate, Anna Yin. Anna was introduced during a General Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. Anna will continue in the role until March 2017.

“Anna has done an amazing job representing Mississauga as our first Poet Laureate,” said Paul Damaso, Director, Culture Division, City of Mississauga. “It has been an honour working with her and it is with great gratitude that we thank her for helping to elevate the status of arts and culture in the city.”

As part of the Poet Laureate program, the candidate will also provide mentorship to the City’s Youth Poet Laureate. The youth position is currently held by the City’s first Youth Poet Laureate, Rebecca Zseder.

Nominations

Nominations will be accepted from Wednesday, February 1 to Friday, March 17, 2017 by 4:30 p.m.

In order to be considered, candidates must:

• be a published poet or spoken word artist;
• be a current Mississauga resident;
• have an established body of work or have been recognized for notable contributions to the literary arts;
• some of their work should be relevant to Mississauga and/or subjects that reflect the life of the city; and
• have the ability to represent the values of the City in a professional manner.

A complete overview of the submission requirements can be found on the City’s Culture website.

The Poet Laureate will receive $5,000 per annum. Additional project funds may be available to support Laureate activities dependent upon available financial resources.

The Poet Laureate will make their first public appearance at the City’s 2017 Canada Day official ceremony on Mississauga Celebration Square.