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Speakers urge restoration of DC poet laureateship and mentorship for new applicants
Summary
Public commenters at the April 20 CAH meeting urged the commission and mayor’s office to complete a paused poet-laureate appointment process and recommended mentorship and a new-applicant track to help first-time grantseekers.
Public comment at the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities meeting April 20 included a request to restore the long-defunct DC poet laureateship and appeals for more mentorship and access to grant programs for first-time individual applicants.
Sandra Beasley, speaking for a coalition of more than 40 signatories, told commissioners she submitted a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser and CAH and asked the mayor’s office of talent and appointments to finish a poet-laureate selection process begun in 2019. Beasley said appointing a poet laureate would help foster literacy, public readings, workshops and national grant opportunities that the district cannot access while the position remains vacant.
“...the dividends from finally appointing a poet laureate will make the district culturally all the richer,” Beasley said.
Commission staff and Chair Reggie Van Lee acknowledged the request and said commissioners were supportive and would follow up. The chair said the topic had been discussed previously and that the commission will do what it can to advance the matter.
Another commenter, Valley Chisum, thanked CAH for timely grant payments and suggested the commission consider creating a separate category or additional supports for new, first-time applicants—especially individual artists who may be deterred by competition from larger organizations or by application-platform hurdles. Commissioners said they would pass the suggestion to the grants committee and underscored existing efforts such as virtual office hours and technical-assistance workshops.
CAH staff highlighted that mentorship has been part of past programming and said they would “rev up” mentorship offerings; staff also recommended first-time applicants contact grant managers and attend upcoming virtual office hours beginning June 1.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the poet-laureate request during the meeting; staff and commissioners committed to follow-up conversations.
