Could You Be the Next Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara?
Applicants Being Sought Among Ranks of Published Authors Who Live in Santa Barbara
The Marines may still be looking for “a few good men,” but the City of Santa Barbara is looking for its next Poet Laureate, an official position currently occupied by Melinda Palacio, who is fast approaching the end of her two-year term in office.
The position was created in 2005 as an ambassadorial vehicle by which access to and interest in the literary arts could be promoted. It’s not enough merely to know the difference between free verse and iambic pentameter; applicants are being sought among the ranks of published authors who live in Santa Barbara, have “excellent public speaking skills,” and are committed to producing events that expand the public footprint of poetry among the populace.
Although the Poet Laureate is technically a creature and creation of Santa Barbara City Hall, the county’s Office of Arts and Culture is leading the search, recruitment, and screening effort, though in conjunction with City Hall and the Public Library.
As public sinecures go, the pay is not enough to lift the title holder out of the ranks of so-called starving artists. The job pays $2,000 for a two-year commitment. The obligations are not especially rigorous either. The office holder is required to perform at least four occasions a year. Typically, the Poet Laureate is called upon to write a poem to commemorate the swearing-in of new city councilmembers. Otherwise, it’s left up to the laureates to define the position as they see fit. Most put in considerably more time than what the job description calls for. (Palacio, for instance, writes a biweekly poetry column for the Santa Barbara Independent, Poetry Connection, on her own time.) And no, there is no free parking.
