Chicago accepting nominations for Poet Laureate, which comes with $50K in grants for 2 years

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Nominations are now being accepted for Chicago's first ever Poet Laureate.

The winner will receive $50,000 in grants over two years for the commissioning of new poems and development of poetry and literary programs. The poet laureate will serve as an ambassador for the city's literary and creative communities.

The deadline for nominations is January 18. The winner will be chosen this spring.

The criteria for being Poet Laureate include:

-Be a current resident of the City of Chicago.

-Be at least 21 years of age.

-Have a demonstrated connection and/or commitment to the literary community in Chicago.

-Have at least four published works and/or performances in established publications (print, online, poetry journals, magazines, websites, or video) over the past three years that are not predominantly self-curated, personal websites, or personal blogs (not published in a vanity press).

-Have received critical acclaim as demonstrated by special honors, awards, and/or other recognition.

-Have a strong interest in serving the city and comfort with being a representative of the City of Chicago.

-Have a history of working with people of all ages and strong communication skills.

-Be able to develop and deliver public programming.

-Be willing and able to travel between locations around Chicago.

A nomination for poet needs to include the person's name, a short paragraph or bullet points on why the person would excel as Poet Laureate and links to the person's website or social media handles.