Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution to establish a Youth Poet Laureate Program has a one-time fee of $2,500 and a $500 annual fee thereafter. Funding for the fees is included in the Planning Division’s adopted operating budget. No additional City appropriation is required.
Title
Establishing a Youth Poet Laureate Program for the City of Madison and authorizing a noncompetitive contract with Urban Word NYC, Inc to become a member of the National Youth Poet Laureate program, and for annual subscription services.
Body
WHEREAS, on January 8, 2008 the Common Council adopted Resolution File ID 08212 formalizing the creation of the Poet Laureate Program for the City of Madison, and
WHEREAS, on January 7, 2020 the Common Council adopted Resolution ID 58843 appointing Angela Trudell Vasquez to serve as the Poet Laureate for the City of Madison based on her prolific and acclaimed history of written work, her community service, and her intent to initiate a Youth Poet Laureate Program; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Trudell Vasquez used her first two years as Madison’s Poet Laureate to work with community partners to build interest, to garner and establish support for creating the Youth Poet Laureate Program for the City of Madison; and
WHEREAS, Ms, Trudell Vasquez has engaged youth poets in her work as Madison's Poet Laureate and published them while serving as judge for local poetry contests, curating the annual Bus Line Poetry Project, and including their voices and artistic expressions wherever possible; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Trudell Vasquez, members of the Madison Arts Commission, other community literary partners including staff of the Madison Public Library, Art Lit Lab, UW Madison’s Office of Multicultural Arts Initiative’s First Wave Program, to name a few, as well as many other members of our community, feel strongly that young poets develop notable writing careers at an early age and should be recognized in their own category; and
WHEREAS, the National Youth Poet Laureate program recognizes and honors talented poets from ages of thirteen (13) through nineteen (19) and provides for competitive opportunities for young people to showcase their literary art on the regional and national stage; and
WHEREAS, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program works with local youth literary Arts Organization across the United State to identify and celebrate exceptional Youth Poets who use their voice to inspire change; and
WHERAS, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program model supports local literary partners in launching their local Youth Poet Laureate Program, elevating these young poet-activists, and creating opportunities and resources to expand and elevate platforms for these youth poet laureates; and
WHEREAS, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program is supported by the Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Parks Service, and many more; and
WHEREAS, the National Youth Poet Laureate initiative is a trademarked program of Urban Word NYC, Inc., an award-winning youth literary arts and youth development organization; and in order for the City to participate and use the licensed materials and logo of the program, the City must sign a licensing agreement with Urban word; and
WHEREAS, to be eligible for the regional and national youth poet laureate competitions, applicants must hold the title of youth poet laureate locally; and
WHEREAS, the 3-year license agreement with Urban Word includes a one-time fee of $2,500 for Madison to participate in the National Youth Poet Laureate Program and $500 annually after that, and this agreement is within the Procurement Supervisor’s authority to sign as a small purchase and will be executed by the Procurement Supervisor in a form approved by the City Attorney; and
WHEREAS, the City of Madison shall select the Youth Poet Laureate based on the recommendation of the Madison Arts Commission in consultation with the Madison Poet Laureate and the most recent Youth Poet Laureate; and
WHEREAS, the selected Youth Poet Laureate shall be between the ages of thirteen (13) through nineteen (19) at the time of selection and may be selected once during that time; and
WHEREAS, the Madison Poet Laureate shall work with the Madison Arts Commission to create written guidelines and selection criteria, prior to identifying the individual chosen by the City of Madison as the Youth Poet Laureate, no later than April 1 of the year in which the Youth Poet Laureate is to be so designated.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Madison should name a Youth Poet Laureate biennially, in addition to our City Poet Laureate, to recognize a youth under the age of twenty for their literary achievements and provide leadership opportunities to other young writers by their literary ambassadorship.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that biennially a Youth Poet Laureate shall be designated for Madison, to be honored at the first meeting of the Madison Common Council in June every two years, and who shall be known as the “Madison Youth Poet Laureate” for the period of June 1 to May 31 of the following two-year period.
BE FINALLY RESOLVED that the Mayor and the Common Council supports the City of Madison’s application for the National Youth Poet Laureate Program.