The City of Detroit is taking nominations for the two new appointees – the Detroit Poet Laureate and Detroit Composer Laureate.
The city's office of arts, culture, and entrepreneurship (ACE) will take the nominations, and the two laureates will be appointed by Mayor Mike Duggan.
Both positions are sponsored by the Ford Foundation, which also sponsors the city's first-ever Detroit Historian position created in 2021 when Duggan appointed Jamon Jordan.
“As Detroit continues to come back, we are making it a priority to create beauty along the way,” Duggan said in a statement. “Beauty can take many forms, including the spoken word and musical compositions. Establishing the roles of Poet Laurate and Composer Laureate is one way we can highlight, celebrate and develop the incredible talent we have in our city.”
According to the city, the previous Poet Laureate was the late Naomi Madgett Long, who died at the age of 97 in November 2020. She will be celebrated on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 1001 Woodward Ave.
The new Poet Laureate will be expected to compose poems for special events and occasions, make poetry real for residents and children of Detroit, and more.
Specific duties include:
- Plan and lead poetry-centered events across the city.
- Give an annual address to the City at the Detroit Public Library
- Participate in community-based and national poetry programs that reflect and honor the diversity of Detroit.
- Write a singular poem for year-end presentation that represents a theme for their time in the role.
To qualify, applicants must:
- Be Detroit residents;
- Have a substantial body of published work, including at least one full-length book;
- Have been an established, professional poet for at least 10 years.
The Composer Laureate is a new position that the city said will advocate for and represent Detroit's musical community and musical history.
The laureate will have two major roles:
- Create a legacy project, an original composition, that will be performed in celebration of Detroit’s musical excellence and continual commitment to musical greatness (place and time to be determined by the Composer Laureate and Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship).
- To collaborate with a range of different residents, organizations and schools on programming and projects
To qualify, applicants must:
- Be Detroit residents;
- Have a substantial body of published composition;
- Have at least 10 years of experience writing published music.
Applicant packets should include:
- name, address, email and phone number
- two reference letters
- a resume
- samples of work
- a letter explaining why the applicant wants the job and what the job would look like during their tenure.
Both laureates will be selected by the mayor from recommendations from a community judging panel and will report to the Director of Arts and Culture. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2024..
For more information, contact Lacey Holmes in the ACE office at lacey.holmes@detroitmi.gov.
