Purpose

The purpose of the Kentucky Poet Laureate Program is to honor outstanding Kentucky writers and promote participation in the literary arts of the state.

The Kentucky Poet Laureate’s minimum duties over the two years of office are:

• To make a presentation at the Kentucky Arts Council’s annual Kentucky Writers’ Day (held on or around April 24)
• To promote the literary arts in Kentucky through readings of their work at meetings, seminars and conferences and in classrooms and libraries across the state

Goals

• To select, on a biennial basis, a Kentucky writer to serve as poet laureate for a two-year term
• To develop activities to honor the poet laureate
• To support the activities of the poet laureate in promoting the literary arts

Eligibility

Eligible nominees must meet the following requirements:

• Be a full-time resident of Kentucky, with a long association with the commonwealth
• Be a published writer of any of the recognized literary forms, including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting and screenwriting

Who May Nominate

Kentucky Poet Laureate nominations may come from individuals or organizations within or outside of Kentucky.

Past Kentucky Poets Laureate are ineligible for nomination.

Nominations will be assessed using the following performance expectations:

• Publication of a written body of work that is informed by living in Kentucky
• Critical acclaim for the work’s high degree of creativity and clarity of form and style as demonstrated by the receipt of special honors, awards and other forms of recognition
• Capacity to promote the literary arts in Kentucky through readings and/or public presentations at meetings, seminars, conferences and other programs across the state, including Kentucky Writers’ Day

Nominee’s Biography

Brief biography of the nominee (Max. 3,000 characters)

Nominee’s CV or Resume

Upload up to five pages, 8.5 inch x 11 inch with one inch margins all around; PDF, DOC, or DOCX files only.

List of the nominee’s published work

Include the title, date of publication and name of publisher. When appropriate, include article/chapter titles, publication name (if different from the nominee’s work), publisher or issue number, volume number, pages numbers, and URL. (Max. 5,000 characters)

Literary Honors, Awards, and Recognition

Section content goes here.

Writing Samples

Upload up to 10 examples of the nominee’s published writing in a single PDF or Word document only. Writing samples may be complete pieces of excerpts from books, journals, e-journals, websites, etc. (Max. 40 pages)

The Kentucky Poet Laureate holds the position from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026, and serves without salary.

The Kentucky Poet Laureate receives a $6,000 honorarium to cover travel expenses during the two-year term.

• Thoroughly read the guidelines and instructions prior to beginning the nomination form.
• Complete and submit the nomination form by the deadline.

Following the deadline, your nomination will be reviewed by the program director, who may contact you if clarification is needed.

The Kentucky Arts Council will offer the following support to ensure that program standards and goals are met:

• Consultation regarding nomination eligibility
• Instructions for completing and submitting a nomination

Every other Friday, Jun 28 – Sep 20 at 10 a.m. Eastern

Register on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMod-mhqz8oGt1kVsoWhaXDU3CUoPZovuMH

Once registered, you’ll receive an invitation with a link that will admit you to any of the office hours.