Arlington Wants Next Poet Laureate To 'Awaken The Poet In All Of Us'

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County is seeking a new poet laureate who will serve a two-year term and advocate for poetry and the literary arts in the county.

The new poet laureate, whose two-year term will begin July 1, will be tasked with advancing Arlingtonians' appreciation of poetry in its written and spoken forms. The deadline for poets to apply to become Arlington’s next poet laureate is March 24 at 5 p.m.

Katherine E. Young served as the county’s first poet laureate from 2016 to 2018, and Holly Karapetkova has served as poet laureate since 2020. In March 2022, Karapetkova read a poem in honor of the residents who had lost their loves in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Poet Laureate program is managed by the Division of Cultural Affairs in Arlington Economic Development.

“Poetry is a dynamic form, taking the language of its time and pushing its expressive limits. And social media is changing the way we use language,” Michelle Isabelle-Stark, director of the Cultural Affairs division of Arlington Economic Development, said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s now easier than ever to write and share poems. Our new Poet Laureate will work with our community to awaken the poet in all of us.”

The poet laureate will receive an honorarium of $1,500 per year to fulfill the duties of the post. Additional funds of up to $500 per year will be available for materials and other approved costs associated with the community engagement programs that the poet laureate facilitates.

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The selected poet laureate will be named in a public ceremony and have their name added to the plaque of Poets Laureate at Courthouse Plaza.

Among the duties of the Arlington County Poet Laureate are to write at least two original poems each year around a theme of their choice that supports the priorities of the Arlington County Board. The poems will be presented at public readings, with the county’s Martin Luther King Day Celebration, Juneteenth, 9/11 Memorial Service, Columbia Pike Blues Festival as possible venues.

The poet laureate also will serve as a juror for the annual Moving Words Poetry competition and contribute one poem each year to be displayed on Arlington’s ART Buses along with the winning poems. The poet laureate also will work with Arlington Public Library and Arlington Cultural Affairs staff to work on bringing poetry to a wider audience.

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older, must live in Arlington for the duration of the appointment, and must demonstrate a track record of experience publishing or presenting original poetry within poetry journals, magazines, websites, or programs.

Applications will be reviewed for eligibility by staff from Arlington Cultural Affairs. Eligible applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including staff, literary professionals, and well-regarded poets from the region, the county said.

The top three to four candidates will be interviewed in person before a final selection is made.

Applications for poet laureate, which are due March 24, will only be accepted through www.arlington.slideroom.com. Candidates will need to sign up for a free account with Slideroom to submit their qualifications. Questions about the application process can be sent to Dan Brady, literary specialist, at dbrady@arlingtonva.us.

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