As Anis Mojgani, our 10th Oregon Poet Laureate, completes his two-year term in May 2022, we are beginning our search for our 11th Oregon Poet Laureate. Please read more about this process below.
The nomination period for the eleventh Oregon Poet Laureate is now open. We are accepting nominations through January 6, 2022. Please review the nominee requirements below to see if the individual you are planning to nominate meets the criteria before submitting the nomination form. The nominee will be contacted to ensure they are interested in moving forward in the process and will then receive the application materials. Nominees will have until January 14, 2022 to complete their application.
An independent selection committee composed of poets, poetry advocates, literature lovers, and cultural leaders will review each nomination and consider the merits of each nominee related to the criteria. The selection committee will review the top candidates, report to the Oregon Cultural Trust, and make a recommendation regarding the laureate to the Governor. The Governor will appoint the eleventh Oregon Poet Laureate in the spring of 2022.
Oregon’s Poet Laureate must be committed to bringing poetry to a wide range of places and people, have a significant body of publicly accessible work, agree to the period of the appointment, and be prepared to undertake a significant cultural project and the public role required of the laureate. Poets of all subgenres (e.g., prose, slam poetry, cowboy poetry) and styles will be considered.
The Poet Laureate will receive an honorarium of $15,000 per year during the term of service. Each term is two years. In addition, the planned activities and travel for the Poet Laureate will be supported through an annual travel subsidy of up to $10,000. The Poet Laureate will participate in a minimum of ten public readings/events in urban and rural settings across the state.
Questions? Contact jennifer@oregonhumanities.org.