State Poet Laureate
Ends on
Five-year appointment begins July 2026
The Maine Arts Commission invites poets across the state to apply for appointment as the next Maine State Poet Laureate. The selected poet will serve a five-year term beginning July 1, 2026, and concluding June 30, 2031.
Established by statute in 1995, the Poet Laureate program honors a distinguished Maine poet and promotes the art of poetry throughout the state. The laureate is charged with advancing public appreciation for poetry through community engagement, events, and projects, as well as supporting the Commission’s administration of the national Poetry Out Loud program.
The position includes a contracted honorarium of $5,000 per year for five years, administered annually by the Maine Arts Commission. The honorarium is provided in lieu of mileage reimbursement. Administrative support is provided by the Maine Arts Commission Program Director and the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
Application Guidelines
Eligible applicants must be full-time Maine residents with a distinguished body of poetic work. Applications must be submitted no later than December 5, 2025 and include:
- A CV or résumé
- 8–10 pages of poetry (published or unpublished)
- A 250 word statement outlining a vision for the public role of Poet Laureate, including any specific project proposals
Past Poet Laureate Projects
Former Maine Poets Laureate have developed projects that have reached thousands of Mainers across the state:
- Julia Bouwsma’s Write ME: a statewide epistolary poetry initiative featuring poets in all 16 counties, more than 20 free public workshops, and a pen-pal exchange connecting 300 poets during the winters of 2023–24 and 2024–25.
- Poems from Here: launched by Stuart Kestenbaum in partnership with Maine Public and the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, this ongoing series features weekly broadcasts of poems by Maine poets.
- Wesley McNair’s Take Heart: A Conversation in Poetry: a weekly newspaper column produced in collaboration with the Maine State Library and the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, along with several statewide poetry projects.
Since the inception of the position, Maine’s poet laureates have included:
Kate Barnes (1996 – 1999)
Baron Wormser (2000 – 2005)
Betsy Sholl (2006 – 2011)
Wesley McNair (2011 – 2016)
Stuart Kestenbaum (2016 – 2021)
Julia Bouwsma (2021 – 2026)
SUBMITTABLE PLATFORM TECHNICAL QUESTIONS?
Check out the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support.
GRANT ASSISTANCE
Our goal is for all potential applicants to have the resources they need to submit a competitive application. If you have questions about the application process, please contact us. We are always happy to help!
Khristina Kurasz, Program Director
Office: 207-287-2713 | Cell: 207-479-8229
ACCESSIBILITY
If you require an alternate format, need assistance to access the guidelines or application, please contact Eli Cabañas, accessibility coordinator at eli.cabanas@maine.gov or 207.287.6746.
It is the policy of the Maine Arts Commission not to discriminate on the basis of disability, and the Commission is dedicated to making our programs accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities and assist individuals with disabilities in connecting them with resources for access to the arts. All programs funded by the Maine Arts Commission must also be accessible.