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 Laureat...
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