[Archived] City of Alexandria Extends Deadline for Poet Laureate Search

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	September 22, 2006 PIO# 215-06/rdo	Brian Hannigan, Director of Communications, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

CITY OF ALEXANDRIA EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR POET LAUREATE SEARCH
Nominations for City’s Second Official Poet Will Be Accepted Through October 2nd

The City of Alexandria has extended until October 2nd the deadline for application to become its second Poet Laureate. The selected Poet Laureate will promote an appreciation of poetry as an art form, encourage the creative writing and reading of literature, and promote literacy through poetry. The individual will serve as Poet Laureate for three years and receive a modest honorarium.

Candidates to become Poet Laureate may nominate themselves or be nominated by other interested individuals or organizations. Applicants must have distinguished themselves in the field of poetry through a body of work created and must accept the Poet Laureate post as a ceremonial role, which includes presentations of works appropriate for all audiences. The Poet Laureate must have lived in the City for a minimum of one year, be 18 years of age or older and maintain residency through the three-year term of service.

Jean Elliot, a longtime Alexandria resident once described as the City’s “grand dame,” was Alexandria’s first and only Poet Laureate of record to date. The Alexandria City Council named Elliot the City’s Poet-in-Residence in 1979 and honored her with a plaque mounted on her South Fairfax Street home. She passed away in 1999 at the age of 98.

For more information or to obtain a nomination form, call Janet Barnett of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703-838-4842, or visit www.alexandriava.gov.

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