Medford To Officially Install Next Poet Laureate

MEDFORD, MA — The City of Medford and the Medford Arts Council will hold a Poet Laureate installation ceremony for Vijaya Sundaram on Tuesday, August 8 at 4 pm at City Hall, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced on Wednesday.

The program will include a reading from Sundaram and a special farewell poem from Medford’s Inaugural Poet Laureate, Terry E. Carter. Rikita Bk, Medford High School’s first place winner of the MPS Poetry Contest, will also give a reading.

“Vijaya is an incredibly talented multilingual poet with a passion for promoting inclusion and expanding people’s love of literature,” said Mayor Lungo-Koehn in a statement. “I invite everyone in the community to join us on August 8 to celebrate Vijaya’s installation and thank Terry for his hard work over the past two years.”

Sundaram’s term began on July 1, 2023 and runs until June 30, 2025.

The City of Medford Poet Laureate, acting as the official city poet, highlights poets, poetry, and literature, particularly working with community members who may traditionally have less access to poetry.

Working with the City Administration and the Medford Arts Council, the Poet Laureate will strives to increase access to senior citizens, youth, and non-English speakers across various platforms.

The Medford Poet Laureate serves a two-year term and will receive a $2,000 stipend each year.