The Knoxville Youth Poet Laureate is a joint program of the Office of the Mayor, Knoxville Writer’s Guild, and Knoxville Arts & Culture Alliance, in partnership with Urban Word, and supported by the PEN Center USA, and the Academy of American Poets. All applicants are invited to participate in writing workshops to define and establish their focus for community based outreach.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS
The Youth Poet Laureate is encouraged to nurture appreciation of poetry and literature for people ages 13-19 by conducting public readings, and presentations in schools and other public settings in geographically diverse areas of the city.
The Youth Poet Laureate shall be expected to:
● Have the ability to fulfill her/his term in residence within Greater Knoxville;
● Attend/Participate/Read/Perform at two (2) ceremonial/civic engagement events per year (possible such events may include Christmas in the City; Festival on the Fourth, a meeting of City Council, State of the City Address, etc.);
● Participate in no fewer than two “poetry advocacy” events per year, during which the Youth Poet Laureate shares the art and love of poetry with a non-traditional and/or underserved audience. Examples of poetry advocacy events could include, but are not limited to, a reading at a group home; a workshop at a domestic violence shelter; a group exercise and performance at a youth correctional institution. Work already planned or scheduled by the poet can be considered.
● Undertake one community outreach project to make poetry available and accessible to people in their everyday lives (projects are continuous with objectives and outcomes);
● Create a body of work
● Submit 3 poems for the National Youth Poet Laureate program
Compensation: The KYPL will be compensated $500 for a one year term.
Appearances and compensation outside of this document are strictly at the discretion of the KYPL.
For more information contact Knoxville Program Leader, Rhea Carmon, info@rheacarmon.com, (865)406-1616
Applications are accepted January 7 – February 14, 2025 and the Youth Poet Laureate will be announced at the April KWG meeting on April 10, 2025.
