Williamsburg is seeking applications from local literary artists to serve as the city’s first poet laureate.
The selected poet will be appointed to a two-year term by city council starting July 2025 and earn $1,500 per year for their service.
“It is our hope that through the poet laureate program, we can inspire and bring people together through this art form,” said Robert Currie, chair of the Williamsburg Public Art Council.
The idea for a poet laureate program first came to Lacroy “Atlas” Nixon after graduating from Liberty University in 2021 and returning to Williamsburg.
Nixon got into poetry while living in Lynchburg, where he did open mic nights and other community work, and found few opportunities to continue his craft after coming home.
“There was not really much going on in the city,” he said. “Open mic nights in Williamsburg are kind of like one-off events, they’re not really sustained scenes.”
Nixon wants to see that change. Over the past few years he founded the nonprofit Slam Connection, which helps kids and teens get involved in poetry and the arts, and worked to network with poets in the Greater Williamsburg area.
It’s also part of what led Nixon to propose the poet laureate program to the city this spring, which he called a “leap of faith.”
“Williamsburg may not have a lot of platforms for people to try out new mediums of art, but there’s a lot of talented people that are just looking for a place to express themselves – especially in the realm of poetry and spoken word and slam,” Nixon said.
“If we have a laureate, we could have somebody that not only does things for the community as far as like for adults, but we could also start youth programs.”
The idea was well-received by the city, which took up the program and put it under the organization of the Williamsburg Public Art Council, a nine-member body charged with celebrating and enhancing the city through public art.
“Lacroy is a buzz of energy,” Currie said. “His excitement and energy really got the public art council excited about this opportunity.”
Williamsburg’s first poet laureate will have a number of responsibilities. They’ll serve as an advocate for the city, championing its arts and honoring its community and culture through poetry.
They’ll also be expected to have roots in Greater Williamsburg, and will be expected to provide a letter of recommendation from someone in the writing community that can speak to their expertise.
“We want to make sure that we select the right person that’s going to serve the community of Williamsburg at the highest level possible,” said Currie.
As part of their tenure, the selected poet laureate will write and read an inaugural poem as well as help build networks and opportunities for poets and other artists. They’ll present other readings at city events among other mutually agreed upon duties.
“We want somebody who is going to make a positive impact on the community,” Currie said. “Not just somebody who is a talented poet or good with the word, but somebody that is well-spoken, that can be an advocate for the city and positive impact and change on the community.”
It’s a sentiment that Nixon stressed as central to the poet laureate program. He called the laureate role “as much a spearhead as they are an intersection.”
“You’re looking for more of a public servant than a public figure,” Nixon said. “You can’t really be a voice for a city that you’re not willing to serve.”
Nixon hopes the program leaves a living legacy of fostering youth poetry and arts, and serves as the groundwork for the start of new local arts and writing programs.
“Having central places and central spaces for people to come in and either learn how to do the thing or express themselves through the thing – whatever that thing may be – I think that is going to become a bigger necessity as this program continues.”
Applications for Williamsburg’s poet laureate close Dec. 8, and final selections will be made by the art council in March.
The chosen poet will be recommended for appointment by the city council in April, which is National Poetry Month.
Read more about eligibility and requirements here.
