Poet Laureate

Application Process

The Poet Laureate of Massachusetts is an honorary, statewide position responsible for inspiring the next generation of poets and readers; advancing literacy, education, and shared understanding; and expanding access to the transformative power of poetry for every resident of the state.

Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, translation, interpretation, and other services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help. To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least two weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline.

How To Apply

Questions? Contact program staff.

Program Guidelines

Program Description

Poetry enriches the civic life of Massachusetts in innumerable ways. In response to Governor Maura T. Healey’s Executive Order no. 640 establishing a Poet Laureate of Massachusetts, Mass Cultural Council, in partnership with Mass Humanities are proud to administer the Poet Laureate application process.

The Poet Laureate is appointed by the Governor and reports to the Governor’s Office. The Poet Laureate serves for a two-year term and may be reappointed for up to one additional two-year term.

Poet Laureate duties include:

• Encouraging appreciation of poetry and creative expression across Massachusetts.
• Attending public readings and other statewide literary and cultural events in diverse regions of the state as requested by the Governor or Lieutenant Governor.
• Composing poetry for ceremonial occasions as requested by the Governor or Lieutenant Governor.
• Advising the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on an outreach program for schools focused on the celebration and advancement of poetry.

Mass Cultural Council and Mass Humanities will grant an honorarium of $15,000 in FY25 to acknowledge the unique significance of the Poet Laureate position. Pending funding availability and spending approval, an honorarium may be granted each year of the Poet Laureate’s term.

Who Can Apply

We encourage you to apply if you are:

A literary artist who composes poetry of any genre, form, or category (i.e.: Haiku, Spoken Word, Prose, Ghazal, Sonnet, etc.).

AND you meet all the following requirements:

• You are 18 years of age or older.
• You are a “full-year resident” of Massachusetts resident (as defined in the Massachusetts tax code). Furthermore, you have lived in Massachusetts for, at minimum, the last three consecutive years.
• You are not a member of the Governor-appointed “Poet Laureate Nominating Committee”. Family of Nominating Committee members are likewise ineligible to apply. Additionally, Mass Cultural Council and Mass Humanities staff and board/council members, and their families, are not eligible to apply.

Position Requirements/Review Criteria

The Poet Laureate should demonstrate the following:

• Experience related to duties as outlined above including potential travel, events, and educational experiences.
• A substantial body of work.
• Commitment to promoting an awareness of poetry and literary excellence.

Application Instructions

Apply using Mass Cultural Council’s grants management system. If you are registered/logged in as an Individual, you will find the application form under “Current Opportunities”.

The application components include:

1. An eligibility quiz to confirm you are eligible to serve in the position.
2. Personal information including your name and contacts.
3. Upload of a resume/CV or bio.
4. Narrative questions:

• • Describe the relevant experience you have had related to the duties of Poet Laureate including but not limited to: attending public readings and other literary and cultural events in diverse regions, composing poetry on commission or in response to a requested theme or topic, engaging with the public through educational or community opportunities, etc.
  • The Poet Laureate should possess a “substantial body of work”. Please describe your body of work as a poet and how you and your work have demonstrated a commitment to promoting awareness of poetry and literary excellence.

5. Work samples (more information in the next section).

Please ensure that your application materials only include the information specifically requested. Do not include any sensitive personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security Number, or private health details.

Work Samples

Please submit up to five files as samples of your poetry. Your combined samples should be no more than 10 pages and/or 10 minutes total. Fewer than 10 pages and/or 10 minutes combined is acceptable.

You may submit poetry as document file(s), audio or video file(s).

You may submit the following file types:

• Audio: FLAC, MID, MIDI, MP3, RA, RM, WAV, WMA.
• Document: DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, TXT.
• Video: ASF, AVI, FLV, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP2, MP4, MPEG, MPG, RM, RMVB, WEBM, WMV.

Review Process

The review process will consist of two rounds. After the application deadline, Mass Cultural Council and Mass Humanities staff will review and score all applications based on their demonstration of the position requirements as outlined above. Staff will advance a select number of candidates to be reviewed by the Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee is co-chaired by leadership from Mass Cultural Council and Mass Humanities and includes legislative leaders or their designees as well as members appointed by the Governor. Per the Executive Order, the committee is required to include at least one each of the following: a poet or poetry editor; a representative from a Massachusetts humanities organization; a representative from an indigenous community or Tribal Nation in Massachusetts; and a scholar from the public state university.

From the pool of applicants forwarded by staff, the Nominating Committee will select TWO candidates to nominate for the Governor’s consideration. The Governor will make the final selection.  Finalists may be asked to provide documentation of proof of residency and other additional background materials as part of the review.

Poet Laureate Service

Please note that Mass Cultural Council plays no role in administering the duties and responsibilities of the Poet Laureate during their term. The honorarium provided by the Council is not meant to serve as compensation but is a grant in recognition of their achievement as a poet.

The Poet Laureate will work directly with the Governor’s office to develop a schedule of public readings, events, and activities related to their role as the Commonwealth’s Poet Laureate.

Members of the public who would like to request a reading and/or invite the Poet Laureate take part in their events and activities should contact the Poet Laureate directly and should be prepared to have a budget in place to compensate the Poet Laureate for their time and travel related to their attendance/participation/reading.

Timeline

Application opens: March 18, 2025
Virtual office hours: March 27, 2025, 11am; April 3, 2025, 11am
Application deadline: April 10, 2025
Selection finalized; email notifications sent: Late-May 2025
Term begins: June 2025

Legal and Other Requirements

Accessibility and Non-Discrimination Policy

Mass Cultural Council is committed to ensuring that all programs, services, policies, and practices are formulated and conducted in a manner that will ensure equal access for all people and prevent discrimination not only as a matter of law, but also as a policy designed to encourage the participation of all segments of the Commonwealth’s population in Mass Cultural Council programs and services.

Mass Cultural Council is dedicated to creating a workplace, programs, and services that welcome, respect, and value people of all races, color, age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religions, creeds, ancestry, national origin, disability and veteran status, and does not discriminate on the basis of these attributes. We strive to reflect diversity in all activities, programs and services by removing any barriers to accessibility.

Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, and services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help. To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least two weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline. Please read the full Access Policy for more information.

Reconsideration Policy

An applicant may request reconsideration of a Mass Cultural Council decision on their application if the applicant can demonstrate that the Mass Cultural Council failed to follow published application and review procedures. Dissatisfaction with the results of a review does not constitute grounds for reconsideration.

The first step in the reconsideration process is to consult with the appropriate Program Staff, to discuss the review process that concluded in the Mass Cultural Council’s decision. If the applicant wishes to pursue a reconsideration, a request must be sent to the Mass Cultural Council’s Executive Director, in writing, within 30 days of the Mass Cultural Council’s notification to the applicant of its decision.

Grants Management System

All applicants should submit their applications through the online system. To create a profile in the system you must have an email address, which will be your username.

If you have not applied to Mass Cultural Council before and/or do not already have a user profile, complete a registration in the grants management system.

• Go to the online system and click “Register”.
• On the next page select “Individual”.
• After completing the registration, you should receive an email to activate your account. The account must be activated within 24 hours. After clicking the activation link, you will be prompted to create a new 8-digit password.

If you have previously applied for a Mass Cultural Council grant using your email address, you may have a profile in the system already. Here’s how you can check to see if you already have a user profile:

• Go to the online system and click “Forgot Password”.
• Once you submit your email address, you will receive an email with a temporary password and a link to the site.
• Copy the password to use on the login page, you will then be prompted to create a new password.
• If you do not receive an email, you do not have an account and you should create one (see above), or you can contact the grants help desk for assistance.

Proceed to the Online Application