Call for Nominations: Vermont Poet Laureate

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By Susan McDowell | March 31, 2015 | Posted in Featured

Governor Peter Shumlin and the Vermont Arts Council invite you to submit nominations for the appointment of a new Vermont Poet Laureate.

Nomination Deadline

Nominations were to be submitted through the Council’s online form no later than 11:55 p.m. (EST) Friday, May 1, 2015.

Criteria

This four-year appointment will be made by the Governor based on the recommendation of a Governor-appointed distinguished panel. The panel will make its recommendation based upon how well the nominated poet meets the following criteria:

The Vermont Poet Laureate is :

a resident of Vermont (Vermont being his/her primary residence)
whose poetry manifests a high degree of excellence
who has produced a critically acclaimed body of work
who has a long association with Vermont

The nominee must agree to participate from time to time in official ceremonies and readings at the Vermont State House and other locations.

The poet selected shall receive an honorarium of $1,000 provided by the Vermont Arts Council.

Estimated Timeline

Deadline for nominations (past): May 1, 2015

June 2015: nominations reviewed and finalists selected
July 2015: completed works of finalists reviewed
August 2015: poet recommendation made to Governor
October 2015: appointment ceremony

Nominations

Nominations were to be submitted online and include:

the name and contact information of the nominated poet
a short statement explaining why the particular poet should receive the appointment
the name of at least one published work of the nominated poet including the name of the publisher and date published
the name and address of the person making the nomination

Questions

Questions regarding nominations should be directed to:

Michele Bailey
Senior Program Director
[email protected]
802.828.3294.

Accessibility Needs

Please inform the Council of any specific accommodations you may need to facilitate your participation in the nomination process.

Alternative formats are available upon request. Questions regarding accessibility should be addressed to Michele Bailey, 504/ADA Coordinator, Vermont Arts Council Contact her by email to [email protected] or by calling 802.828.3294 (voice and relay calls welcome).

One response

I write in nomination of David Budbill as Poet Laureate of the State of Vermont. David’s poems reflect the essence of Vermont, especially with respect to life in the Northeast Kingdom. His poetry is simple, and simply eloquent. Through his free verse he conveys a reflection, observation, word picture or event in such a clear, authentic and refreshing way that the reader feels present with him, often to the point of laughter, tears, joyfulness or just gratitude for the experience.
My favorite poem is ‘Hermie’ from Judevine (Chelsea Green Publishing, 1991) in which he describes a chain saw dance with such Vermont dialogue that one feels he is hearing a story or watching a documentary as told by an old Vermont farmer. I have read it countless times to guests in my home. Whether in While We’ve Still Got Feet (Copper Canyon Press, 2005) or Happy Feet (Copper Canyon Press, 2011) or his many other publication, David is lifting up the State of Vermont in such a positive way. It is no wonder that Garrison Keillor has drawn from David’s work so often on his program, ‘The Writer’s Almanac’.
David’s poetry does great credit to Vermont, and very likely has brought people to the State who seen in it through him a beauty, peacefulness and way of life that is distinctive. He would be an exceptional representative of Vermont as Poet Laureate.