Nominations open for Cleveland Heights Office of Poet Laureate

Cleveland Heights's sixth poet laureate, Kathleen Cerveny.

Heights Arts is accepting nominations for the 2015–17 Office of Poet Laureate. The purpose of the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate—initially established by Heights Arts with the approval of the City of Cleveland Heights in 2005—is to celebrate and elevate the art form of creative writing for the benefit of the community’s residents.

Artist, poet, grant-maker and Cleveland Arts Prize-recipient Kathleen Cerveny currently serves as Cleveland Heights's sixth poet laureate. The next poet laureate will serve for a two-year period, beginning April 2015, and concluding at the end of March 2017. Poets must be residents of Cleveland Heights through the full two-year term of service if selected for the office.

Any resident of Cleveland Heights may nominate an individual for the office, and poets may nominate themselves. Nominated individuals will be notified and provided with the guidelines and duties of the office by early November. If willing to serve and comply with the duties, nominees are asked to submit an application which includes: a sample of work; documentation of background and experience in the art form; ideas for a community project the applicant would conduct to bring awareness and participation in the art form; a cover letter; and optional video of nominated poet reading his or her work.

The Heights Arts Board of Directors will review the applications and recommend three finalists, who will be interviewed by a combined board and community committee to complete the selection process. An invitation to serve will be issued to the selected finalist by Jan. 30, 2015. The seventh Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate will be announced in April 2015, during National Poetry Month.

Nomination forms, as well as detailed information about the Office of Poet Laureate and its role and responsibilities, are available at www.heightsarts.org/heights-writes/. Nominations should be submitted electronically to Heights Arts by Oct. 31.