Application Deadline Extended Until Sept. 20

QUEENS, NY – Borough President Melinda Katz today announced the deadline to apply to be the next Queens Poet Laureate is extended until Friday, September 20, 2019.

The Borough President, in partnership with Queens Public Library and Queens College, is conducting an open call to fill the post of Queens Poet Laureate, a prestigious position charged with promoting a love of poetry and literacy throughout the borough.

Applications for the unpaid position are being accepted online at www.queensbp.org/poet until 5:00 PM EDT on September 20, 2019. Applicants must be published poets and residents of Queens. The winning candidate will be a talented writer who can demonstrate a compelling vision for the role of Queens Poet Laureate.

“Queens seeks a Poet Laureate capable of crafting thought-provoking poetry that addresses universal themes and shows an abiding affection for our diverse borough,” said Borough President KATZ. “The extended application deadline will give more of our borough’s talented and creative residents the opportunity to put themselves forward as candidates for this esteemed and important position.”

The application process is open to published poets who are currently Queens residents and have lived in Queens for at least two years. Applicants must submit a writing sample of up to ten pages of their poetry, along with an essay of up to 500 words on why the applicant wants to be the next Queens Poet Laureate. Applicants must also submit a one to two-page résumé focused on their poetry-related work (such as the publications where their work has appeared, along with any public readings they have done and any grants, fellowships, awards or other poetry-related honors they have received).

The next Queens Poet Laureate will be installed by Borough President Katz during a public ceremony at Queens Borough Hall. During his or her three-year term, the Queens Poet Laureate will promote an appreciation of poetry throughout the Borough of Queens. Examples of outreach include readings at public schools, libraries, community centers, parks and borough arts events.

The past Queens Poet Laureates are: Maria Lisella (who served from 2015 to 2018), Paolo Javier (2010-2014), Julio Marzan (2007-2010), Ishle Yi Park (2004-2007), Hal Sirowitz (2001-2004) and Stephen Stepanchev (1997-2001).

About the Judges

Former Queens Poet Laureates Maria Lisella and Paolo Javier are on the five-member panel of judges who will review the Queens Poet Laureate applications.

The other judges are Walt Whitman Award-winning poet Nicole Cooley, NYC Youth Poet Laureate Camryn Bruno, and Alice Quinn, Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of the Arts.

About the Queens Poet Laureate Administrative Committee

The Queens Poet Laureate Administrative Committee oversees the Queens Poet Laureate selection process.

The members of the Administrative Committee are: Dr. Nicholas Alexiou, a professor at Queens College and a contemporary poet and artist; Andrew P. Jackson (Sekou Molefi Baako), the director emeritus of Queens Public Library’s Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center and a member of the Board of Trustees of Queens Public Library; and Maria Terrone, poetry editor of the journal Italian Americana and a frequent visiting poet in Queens and Manhattan public schools.

The Administrative Committee will screen applications before they are given to the judges to review.  The judges will then select three finalists for in-person interviews with the judges and the Administrative Committee, who will collectively select the next Queens Poet Laureate.

Follow Borough President Katz via @QueensBPKatz on Twitter and Facebook

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