Poet Laureate Nomination Guidelines

Overview

The March 2025 deadline for Poet Laureate applicants has passed. Applications are now closed.

In 2014, the Saint Louis Board of Aldermen passed Ordinance 69879, which established the position of Saint Louis Poet Laureate. The Saint Louis Poet Laureate will promote the art of poetry and encourage literacy and learning throughout the St. Louis region. The St. Louis Poet Laureate will be expected to share a literary theme for their two-year term and engage a variety of constituencies, enriching the lives of residents by sharing and promoting poetry through public appearances, readings, workshops, and digital and social media.

Term of Service

The St. Louis Poet Laureate shall serve a two-year term. The next St. Louis Poet Laureate should be announced in April 2025. 

Who May Apply

The St. Louis Poet Laureate Task Force encourages all eligible candidates to self-nominate and for other members of the public to nominate eligible candidates, with the permission of the candidate. Poets of all genres and styles will be considered.

Qualifications

All St. Louis Poet Laureate nominees must:

• Be at least 21 years of age at the time of nomination
• Be a St. Louis City resident
• Be committed to bringing poetry to a wide range of places and people
• Be able and available to reach St. Louis audiences
• Provide evidence of achievement in the art of poetry, including having a body of publicly accessible work (books, literary magazines, and/or digital media)
• Be poised to undertake the public role required of the Poet Laureate

Nomination Requirements

The following items are required as part of each nomination:

• A completed nomination form via the online nomination process. The online form includes:

1. Contact information for the nominator and the nominated poet, including mailing address, phone numbers and e-mail address, and
2. If the nomination is not by the poet, a statement from the nominated poet confirming the nominator contacted the nominated poet, that the poet has reviewed the expectations of the position, and agrees to the nomination.
3. Résumé or curriculum vitae, not to exceed one page, which includes  special honors, awards, fellowships, or other recognition.
4. The submission should consist of a work sample (published or unpublished) of 3 poems, not to exceed 5 pages. The work sample may be written or audio. If written work, the sample must include a cover sheet (which does not count toward the page maximum) with name and a list of poetry titles and content. The work sample may contain information that indicates where the poem has been published or performed or if it has received any awards for merit. A diversity of form and style is encouraged, and the poems submitted should be of the highest quality.
5. If opting to submit an audio work sample of up to 3 poems instead of a written one, submit a transcript of the poem(s) performed, not to exceed 5 pages as stated above. Audio works should be included in the online nomination form or on a sheet of paper turned in with hard copy nominations. 
6. A narrative, not to exceed two (2) pages, describing

• why the nominee wishes to be considered,
• what the nominee aspires to accomplish during the two years as the St.  Louis Poet Laureate, and
• ideas about a theme to explore during the initial year of service and any special projects the nominee might like to initiate.

*Please note that the items specified above must be in 12-point font, with 1" margins on all sides, single-spaced, and formatted to fit 8 1/2" x 11" paper (no photocopies from publications will be accepted).

Recommendation letters will not be considered.

Failure to provide all required materials results in ineligibility.

How to Submit a Nomination

All nominations, including self-nominations, should be submitted via the online application form by 5 PM on Friday, March 7, 2025.  

Online submissions are strongly encouraged and preferred. In the event you are unable to submit electronically, please deliver or mail a paper copy of the submission to:

Office of the President of the Board of Aldermen
℅ Christine Ingrassia
Poet Laureate Task Force
Room 232, City Hall
1200 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103

Please contact Christine Ingrassia at ingrassiac@stlouis-mo.gov or 314.622.4114 with questions about the nomination process. 

Re-Nomination of Previously Nominated Poets

A poet who has been nominated before may be re-nominated through this process.

Ineligible Nominees

• Previous State of Missouri Poets Laureate
• Previous St. Louis City Poets Laureate

Selection Criteria

• Have a record of quality published or documented work
• Ability and willingness to conduct the public engagement duties of the office
• Demonstration of excellence in their artistic work as evidenced by originality, mastery of skills and technique, and potential impact on the audience and/or community.
• Possess the ability to foster and advance poetry and the literary arts throughout the region via readings, public presentations, and teaching in diverse communities 
• Agree to the conditions and term of appointment

Selection Process

• The St. Louis Poet Laureate Task Force will review all submitted nominations using the same scoring rubric and select at least three (3) semi-finalists
• Each semi-finalist will be interviewed in person or virtually by the St.  Louis Poet Laureate Task Force.
• The Task Force will make a recommendation to the President of the Board of Aldermen, who will seek approval for the recommendation from the full Board of Aldermen. Once the Board of Aldermen approves a recommendation, the Poet Laureate shall be seated.

Expectations of the Position

The St. Louis Poet Laureate is expected to:

• Celebrate the written and spoken poetic voices of St. Louis residents by using the appointment as a platform to illuminate their own work, as well as the work of other writers in the St. Louis region
• Contribute to the growth, access and awareness of poetry throughout the St. Louis region
• Encourage both the reading and writing of literature
• Use the art of poetry to enlighten, educate, entertain, transform, and inspire established and emerging generations of literary artists and readers of literature
• Participate in at least four (4) literary events and four (4) educational programs in schools in the region
• Prepare and provide a written report of activities every six months to the St.  Louis Poet Laureate Task Force
• Create a substantial new work commemorating the City of St.  Louis through works that speak to, for, and of our region
• Collaborate with other Poets Laureate (including the St. Louis Youth Poet Laureate and the Poet Laureate of Missouri when possible)

Estimated Timeline

• February 14, 2025 - Nomination process opens
• March 7, 2025 - Nomination process closes
• March 21, 2025 - Select semi-finalists
• March 24, 2025 - April 4, 2025 - Interview semi-finalists
• April 15, 2025 - Swearing in of the Poet Laureate for two-year term