Medford Is Seeking Its Next Poet Laureate

MEDFORD, MA – The city of Medford is looking for its next Poet Laureate, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced in a news release.

The Medford Poet Laureate will serve a two-year term from July 2023 through June 2025, and will receive a $2,000 yearly stipend.

Job responsibilities for the position include highlighting poets, poetry, and literature, and working with community members with less or limited access to poetry.

The Medford Poet Laureate will work with city administrators and the Medford Arts Council to increase access to poetry for senior citizens, youth, and non-English speakers, officials said in the news release.

To be eligible to apply, applicants must be Medford residents or must present strong evidence of positive contributions to the Medford community. Applicants of all backgrounds and abilities are encouraged to apply.

Applicants can apply online, and must submit the following documents:

• A letter of intent including proposals for expanding access to poetry within the City of Medford
• A resume
• Examples of original poetry
• Proof of residency or evidence of contributions to the City of Medford, including letters of recommendation

Application materials can also be sent via mail or delivered in person to Steve Smirti, Room 202 at Medford City Hall, located at 85 George P. Hasset Dr.
The deadline to submit application materials is April 24.

After the application deadline, a selection committee – including the mayor, city staff, and representatives from the Medford Arts Council – will review applications and select a finalist for the Poet Laureate position.

Do you have what it takes to be the next Medford Poet Laureate? The Poet Laureate will be reviewed and chosen based on the following criteria:

• Quality of original poetry;
• A proposed plan for working with the community (i.e. youth, seniors, non-English speakers);
• Professional achievement in poetry and/or proof of publication of past work;
• Past work or volunteerism within the Medford community.

The next Poet Laureate will take over from Terry E. Carter, who was appointed to the position in July 2021 as the first-ever Medford Poet Laureate.

“I am excited to see a different perspective that the new Poet Laureate will bring to our community and thank our current and first-ever Poet Laureate Terry E. Carter for his passion and dedication over the past two years,” Mayor Lungo-Koehn said in the news release.

“I hope that whoever holds this position next will continue to be a source of creativity, inspiration, and promote accessibility to this art,” she added.