R115431
City Council Meeting: August 22, 2023 Santa Monica, California
RESOLUTION NUMBER 11543 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA CREATING A POET LAUREATE PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica supports the celebration of the spirit and
special qualities of Santa Monica, specifically highlighting the City through the literary arts
and creation of literary works that commemorate the diversity and vibrancy of our City; and
WHEREAS, the City endorses arts education to be a more integral part of the
community’s rich arts and cultural scene, and to play a more active role in the development
of art and cultural programs that will educate both our residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, poetry tells the history of human feeling and can sustain the emotional
memory of a community; and
WHEREAS, knowledge of poetic traditions allow us to know more about our own
culture and can serve as a passport to the cultures of others; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to establish a City of Santa Monica Poet Laureate
program and develop terms and conditions for the program.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Establishment and Purpose.
The City of Santa Monica hereby creates a City of Santa Monica Poet Laureate
program. The purpose of the Poet Laureate program is to encourage appreciation and create
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opportunities for dissemination of poetry in the City, promote the appreciation and knowledge
of poetry among City residents and visitors, and act as a spoke person for the growing number
of poets and writers in the City.
SECTION 2. Selection of the Poet Laureate.
(a) Persons interested in serving as the City’s Poet Laureate may nominate
themselves by completing an online application that may be submitted in
person to the Santa Monica Public Library (“Library”) or through the
Library’s website. Nominees may not be a City of Santa Monica employee
or official.
(b) The City Council of the City of Santa Monica hereby authorizes the
Director of the Library to recommend a Poet Laureate for the City
Council’s appointment every two years in January, or as soon thereafter
as may be practicable.
(c) The Poet Laureate will be appointed at the discretion, and
serve at the will, of the City Council.
(d) The Library shall establish specific criteria for the appointment of the Poet
Laureate based on qualifications. The qualifications of the Poet Laureate
will include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Must be eighteen years of age and older and residents of the City of
Santa Monica.
2. Excellence as evidenced by submitted poetry samples.
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3. Excellence in their profession as evidenced by a history of publications
in journals and books, awards, honors, fellowships, and/or recognition.
4. Advancement of poetry as demonstrated by a history of activity in the
literary community through teachings, publications, and/or public
presentations.
5. The poet’s proposed public engagement projects and ability to conduct
these projects.
6. The broader reputation of the poet and poet’s work locally, regionally,
and nationally.
SECTION 3. Term.
The appointed Poet Laureate shall serve a term of two years. If the Poet Laureate
is unable to complete a full term, the Library shall accept applications for a replacement.
The replacement Poet Laureate will complete the remaining portion of the two-year term,
and, if approved by Council, may serve another term. An appointed Poet Laureate who
does not fulfill the terms of their appointment may be removed by the Library Director.
SECTION 4. Administration of Program; Funding.
(a) The administration of the position of Poet Laureate shall be under the
direction of the Library.
(b) The City may provide a Five Thousand Dollar ($5,000) honorarium for each
year of the two-year term of service to reimburse out-of-pocket costs
incurred by the Poet Laureate. This is not intended to create an
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expectation of funding beyond what may be approved through the City’s
annual budget, at the discretion of City Council.
SECTION 5. Roles and Responsibilities of the Poet Laureate.
(a) The honorary position of Poet Laureate is voluntary in nature and such
honorary position shall not be considered as being an employee, or an
elected official of the City, and as such cannot legally bind or obligate the
City in transactions with others and individual shall not receive any
monetary compensation from the City.
(b) The roles and responsibilities of the Poet Laureate include, but are not
limited to, the following:
1. Carry activities that engage the public in poetry or literary arts.
2. Share the love of poetry with community through participation in City
sponsored events, poetry readings, workshops, civic holidays, or
cultural events.
3. Create an annual original poem celebrating the City, which will be
featured on the City website, Library website, and shared via other
means.
4. Organize at least one yearly poetry-related panel
discussion/reading/writing workshop or program as part of the Library’s
National Poetry Month programming in April.
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5. Present two annual writing workshops or poetry reading/slams which
would be presented at a Santa Monica Public School, the Library, or
City sponsored event such as Santa Monica Pride LGBTQ+ Events,
Arts & Literacy Festival, YALLWEST, Greens Festival, Women's History
Month, Banned Books Week, Disabilities Awareness Month, Black
History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, or any of the numerous other
events that take place in the City each year. These programs, and their
timeframes, will need to be pre-approved and coordinated by the
Library.
(c) Any original poem specifically designated as a City Poet Laureate Work
(“Work”) is intended to represent the City’s Poet Laureate program. Poems
identified as a Work are encouraged to be inspired by the history, culture,
architecture, archeology, streetscape, environment, or people of the City.
(d) By participating as the designated City’s Poet Laureate, the Poet Laureate
will grant the City a non-exclusive license to, among other things, use,
publicly display, publish, reproduce, adapt, or compile, in various media
formats, any poem identified as a City Poet Laureate Work. The City shall
not have exclusive use of a Work nor own the copyright of a Work; however,
the Poet Laureate, on their behalf and on behalf of their successors, will
specifically authorize the City to use their Work without fee or other
compensation due to the Poet Laureate or successor of the copyright.
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(e) The Library may reject any work that is submitted by the Poet Laureate to
the City, if the Library determines, in its sole discretion, that the work is
unsuitable as a City work or does not meet the program’s purpose.
(f) If selected, the Poet Laureate agrees to execute a license agreement for the
Works, comply with City policies and procedures, and comply with the terms
and conditions of the City’s Poet Laureate program.
(g) The Library may change the Poet Laureate’s roles and responsibilities listed
above as the City’s needs change.
SECTION 6. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution, and
thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________
Douglas Sloan, City Attorney
Adopted and approved this 22
nd day of August 2023.
__________________________
Gleam Davis, Mayor
I, Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do
hereby certify that Resolution No. 1154 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of
the Santa Monica City Council held on the 22nd day of August 2023, by the following
vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Brock, de la Torre, Parra, Torosis,
Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Davis
NOES: None
ABSENT:
ATTEST:
_____________________________________
Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk