Nominate an Outstanding Calgary Poet On July 26, 2011, City Council approved a motion to establish a Calgary Poet Laureate position, funded by a group of Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors. Current Ambassadors include Calgary Foundation, Calgary Chamber, and Brookfield Residential. Calgary Arts Development administers the program in conjunction with a volunteer selection committee, which appoints each Calgary Poet Laureate for a two-year term. The Calgary Poet Laureate is intended to be an artistic ambassador for Calgary, presenting at civic events, and producing literary work that reflects our city and its citizens. Kris Demeanor served as the first Calgary Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014 followed by derek beaulieu from 2014 to 2016, Micheline Maylor from 2016 to 2018, and Sheri-D Wilson from 2018 to 2020. For more information, contact Kaley Beisiegel at kaley.beisiegel@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or 403.264.5330 ext. 214. Guidelines Background & Program DescriptionOn July 26, 2011, City Council approved a motion to establish a Calgary Poet Laureate position, funded by Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors from the private sector. Each Calgary Poet Laureate is appointed for a two-year term. Calgary Arts Development administers the program, including: Appointing the selection committee. Collecting nominations. Managing marketing and publicity. Overseeing all finances related to the program. The Calgary Poet Laureate program is funded by the Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors. As of January 1, 2018, the Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors included: Calgary Foundation Calgary Chamber of Commerce Brookfield Residential Eligibility CriteriaNominees for Calgary Poet Laureate must meet the following criteria: Be a professionally published or presenting poet. Be a current resident of Calgary. Demonstrate an established career through their body of work, or have made significant contributions to their community regardless of career length. Roles & ResponsibilitiesThe Calgary Poet Laureate is an ambassador of the arts to the citizens of Calgary. The Calgary Poet Laureate produces literary work that is reflective of Calgary’s landscape, cityscape, and civic identity and that may raise awareness of local issues. The Calgary Poet Laureate is to perform the role outlined as follows: Compose and present poems for official City of Calgary occasions. Make public appearances as Calgary Poet Laureate either in Calgary or as an ambassador to other cities or countries. Make public presentations of their work at least twice a year. Send quarterly updates to Calgary Arts Development listing past and upcoming public appearances. Sit on the selection committee for the succeeding Calgary Poet Laureate. HonorariumThe Calgary Poet Laureate receives an annual honorarium of $10,000, over a two-year term. Nomination ProcessNominations open on February 18, 2020. Self-nominations are accepted. If shortlisted for the award, nominees must agree to participate in an in-person interview and presentation of their work for the selection committee. Nomination packages must include: A letter of nomination from the nominator (in the case of a self-nomination, a support of nomination letter written by a second party), including: A brief description of the nominee’s contributions to the poetry or arts community. A brief description of how the nominee has influenced their literary peers and/or other artists. An explanation of why the nominee should be Calgary Poet Laureate. The nominee’s current curriculum vitae. One copy for each member of the selection committee of up to five (5) examples of the nominee’s work. If submitting electronically, one copy of each item will suffice. If submitting hard copies, the selection committee will require six (6) copies of each item, delivered to the Calgary Arts Development office (see address below). If submitting hard copy support material, please also upload a Word document or PDF indicating that hard copies will be provided by the deadline. Examples of work may include: Published books Literary anthologies, journals, magazines, chapbooks Links to presentation videos or MP3s CDs or DVDs A signed acknowledgment of nomination. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 20, 2020 at 4:30pm MST. Following the successful submission of your nomination package, please deliver any hard copy support material to Calgary Arts Development by Monday, March 23, 2020 at 4:30pm MST. Calgary Arts Development Suite #501, 237 8th Ave. SE Calgary, AB T2G 5C3 Attn: Calgary Poet Laureate Nominations In light of COVID-19, be sure to let us know if you require more time to get your Calgary Poet Laureate nomination in. Please reach out to Kaley Beisiegel as soon as possible at kaley.beisiegel@calgaryartsdevelopment.com. She will be in touch to coordinate how to receive support materials on a case-by-case basis. All materials and nominations must be received no later than 4:30pm on Friday, March 27, 2020. Selection CommitteeThe selection committee—appointed by Calgary Arts Development—is charged to review all nomination packages and select based on the criteria outlined above. Selection ProcessFollowing the nomination deadline, the selection committee reviews all applications and meets to discuss and shortlist nominees. Shortlisted nominees are invited to participate in an in-person interview and presentation of their work for the selection committee April 2 and 3, 2020. During these meetings, the selection committee assesses each nominee’s presenting skills and aspirations for the position. Following the in-person interviews and presentations, the selection committee meets to select the Calgary Poet Laureate. The announcement of the 2020-2022 Calgary Poet Laureate will take place during National Poetry Month in April 2020. Selection CriteriaCalgary Poet Laureate nominees are assessed based on the following criteria: Artistic Excellence: The quality and artistic merit of the nominee’s work. Impact: The nominee’s contribution to the Calgary poetry or arts community. Stature: The nominee’s reputation within their peer community. Community Connection*: The nominee’s presentation skills and aspirations for the position. *This area is specifically for shortlisted nominees and is assessed during in-person interviews and presentations. Timeline February 18, 2020: Nominations open March 20, 2020: Nominations close March 25, 2020: Selection committee reviews nomination packages and determines shortlist March 26, 2020: Shortlist nominees notified and scheduled for in-person interviews and presentations April 2 & 3, 2020: Shortlisted nominees in-person interviews and presentations April 9, 2020: All nominees notified of final Poet Laureate decision April 2020: Calgary Poet Laureate announced How to ApplyNominations open on February 20, 2020 and can be submitted using the form below. Self-nominations are accepted. If shortlisted for the award, nominees must agree to participate in an in-person interview and presentation of their work for the selection committee and invited guests. Downloads Program Guidelines Nomination Form Nomination Form SubmitThank you for your interest. Nominations are now closed. For more information, contact Kaley Beisiegel at kaley.beisiegel@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or 403.264.5330 ext. 214. This program is made possible by the Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors: