Applications are now being accepted for the Lancaster City Poet laureate program, City Hall said in a news release Monday.
The 2024 laureate will serve a two-year term through April 2026, leading activities “to elevate the art of poetry and utilize it as a catalyst for community engagement,” the city said. The commitment includes a minimum of two literary events per quarter, two city events a year and a special project.
The post comes with an honorarium of $3,000. Additional information on the program is here; an online application form is here. The deadline is Monday, June 10.
Applicants should be age 18 or older; should live within the School District of Lancaster; and should be able to criminal and child abuse background checks. Up to three finalists will be interviewed and a laureate selected by the end of July.
The laureate program was launched last year by the Lancaster City Poet Laureate Committee, an independent group of community members. It selected Evita Colon, a spoken-word artist and co-owner of A Concrete Rose Bookbar.
This year, the city is partially funding the program, spokeswoman Amber Strazzo Righter said, and coordinating it through the Office of Public Art. Other supporters include Nobody’s Pen, Dr. Clark McSparren, Jerry Eckert and Phil and Janet Calhoun.
