The Ventura County Arts Council is seeking applications for the inaugural Ventura County Youth Poet Laureate.
VENTURA, Calif.–The Ventura County Arts Council is seeking applications for the position of Ventura County Youth Poet Laureate. The person selected will strive to advance awareness of and appreciation for literary arts and humanities within Ventura County. As both a Ventura County resident and emerging poet, the Youth Poet Laureate shall represent and celebrate the diversity and vision of the youth in Ventura County. As a representative of the county’s literary community, the Youth Poet Laureate shall endeavor to promote a wide range of literary arts within the county and shall actively participate in ceremonial, educational and cultural activities throughout the county at various times in his or her one year term of service.
In 2008, the award-winning literary arts organization, Urban Word, launched the nation’s first-ever Youth Poet Laureate program, in partnership with the NYC Voters Assistance Commission and the NYC Mayor’s Office. Since then, Urban Word has honored 9 Youth Poets Laureate in New York City, each having released their own debut collections of poetry from Penmanship Books. In 2014, Urban Word partnered with six of the top youth literary arts organizations in Los Angeles to launch the first-ever LA Youth Poet Laureate program, and announced the inaugural Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate. Since then, Urban Word has launched Youth Poet Laureate programs in 41 more cities across the country and counting. In September of 2016, Michelle Obama celebrated the program at the White House, and honored the inaugural group of finalists for the country’s first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. In April 2017, Urban Word and the its supporting partner organizations named the inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, at Gracie Mansion in New York City with the Mayor and his family; and this past fall—Amanda and the program were invited to US Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith’s opening reading at the Library of Congress.
The Youth Poet Laureate of Ventura County is an honorary position. The individual appointed will serve a one-year term, commencing in September 2018. The Youth Poet Laureate will receive an honorarium of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per term and a book deal with Spit Shine Publishing.
More information, application materials and eligibility requirements may be found on the Ventura County Arts Council’s website: vcartscouncil.org. Completed applications should be sent to the Youth Poet Laureate Committee at the Ventura County Arts Council’s office, website, or email address on or before the stated deadline: June 30. Fernando Albert Salinas from the Arts Council may also be contacted at [email protected].
For nearly 20 years, the Ventura County Arts Council, an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization, has served Ventura County residents as the local arts agency designated by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to serve the county’s citizens in partnership with the California Arts Council. VCAC advocates for the arts and for increased arts instruction in schools, and fosters community development through the arts, serving county artists, arts organizations and the general public through partnerships with arts supporters, businesses, foundation, and community leaders. VCAC embraces diversity and strives to reach low income and minority communities with programs designed to engage these diverse population.
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