Montgomery County Poets Laureate
The Annual Montgomery Poet Laureate Competition is the foundation upon which the MCPL Program was built. The competition is the ultimate expression of the program’s mission; creating an ever expanding community of poets, supporting their work and providing opportunities for poets to elevate their visibility while also benefiting the community with their service project, many of which continue long beyond their tenure.
How does the competition work?
Each year MCPL recruits a celebrity poet with a national reputation, who along with two additional local Delaware Valley poets, adjudicate the submitted manuscripts.
The newly selected Montgomery County Poet Laureate is honored with an award in the amount of $500 along with a personalized statement about their work, which is shared through MCPL and other local organizations.
The Award is presented during an Award Ceremony and Reading, open to the public and attended by the celebrity judge and previous poets laureate to read with and welcome the newest member of their esteemed ranks.
Who can compete?
Poets of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to submit their poetry for review and adjudication in the annual competition. Poets must also be residents of Montgomery County. The window for submissions generally opens in early December and closes mid-February with the winner to be announced at the end of March.
The role of the Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureate functions as an ambassador for poetry in Montgomery County from April 1 of the year of his/her naming to March 31st of the following year. This role includes working with MCPL’s Executive Director, Joanne Leva, to develop a schedule of readings, workshops
Appearances may include the Forgotten Voices Poetry Group, Farley’s Bookshop First Thursday Poetry Reading Series, and the annual Caesura Poetry Festival. They may also hold the office of “
Poet’s Blog | Cathy Cohen
Hi, it’s an honor to join the MCPL community and follow so many talented PLs from the past 20 years. I come from a background in community arts, teaching and painting. My hope is to build cross-pollination and opportunities to workshop, share and connect with artists and poets as well as those new to poetry.
Some background: Trained as a special educator, I taught in that capacity for years , then worked as a poet-in-schools in the 90s. I also studied painting at PAFA (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts).
Galvanized after 9/11, I joined with other artists and poets to create a poetry program for students in the Greater Philadelphia region, We the Poets, through the arts nonprofit ArtWell (www.theartwell.org). We knew that poetry was a powerful vehicle for self-awareness, expression, dealing with trauma and sharing. Over the years we saw how children from Pre-K through college could practice poetry writing skills that supported their personal growth, literacy and self-esteem. Our programs helped build safer classrooms and a wider sense of community. We taught in school and afterschool programs as well as mosques, synagogues and churches, forming partnerships and giving performances. By now our work has expanded to support thousands of underserved children. We’ve partnered with researchers from Drexel University School of Public Health and University of Pennsylvania’s Social Work School to better understand how to support children. We are having an ArtWell Festival on June 8 from 1 to 5 PM for all ages. Details below: Please Join Us!
Get Tickets · Become A Sponsor · Saturday, June 8,
1:00 PM—5:00 PM
Location: Oxford Mills, Hope Street* · 100 W. Oxford Street, Philadelphia,
PA 19122
I’ll post on from time to time about upcoming projects and opportunities. Please be in touch about your poetry interests and news.
Thanks, Cathy Cohen
(cpoems@gmail.com)
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Poets Laureate
