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Applications open for position of New Mexico's Poet Laureate

Wikimedia Commons via CC

Poets can apply to be New Mexico's new Poet Laureate. The application deadline has been extended to May 15

You can nominate yourself or be nominated by a supporter to be the state's second Poet Laureate, after Levi Romero - who also teaches Chicana and Chicano studies at UNM, and has filled the role since 2020.

The position entails writing poetry, including for official events and special occasions where possible, and collecting other authors' poetry from around the state for sharing at readings and in an anthology.

The Poet Laureate will also document their travels online - they are meant to try to visit all 33 counties.

The position includes a stipend of $10,000 per year, as well as travel and printing expenses and some staffing support over the three years of the position.

The guidelines for application say that hopefuls should be widely recognized as poets of stature but that all subgenres, including prose, slam poetry and cowboy poetry will be considered.

Alice Fordham joined the news team in 2022 after a career as an international correspondent, reporting for NPR from the Middle East and later Latin America and Europe. She also worked as a podcast producer for The Economist among other outlets, and tries to meld a love of sound and storytelling with solid reporting on the community. She grew up in the U.K. and has a small jar of Marmite in her kitchen for emergencies.