Fort Hays students who enjoy poetry and writing have a new opportunity coming soon! The position of FHSU Poet Laureate is up for grabs this year with application submissions currently open now until November 2nd. The selected representative of the Poet Laureate will serve as the official poet for Fort Hays State University, and the position is open to all FHSU undergraduates. The goal of this position is to promote understanding and appreciation for poetry in our local community.
This is the first year that Fort Hays is offering a position for Poet Laureate, and any undergraduate students are welcome to apply regardless of their major. This is a 2-semester program which will begin January 2021, and the winner will be announced this December.
FHSU Instructor Linda E. Smith– “The power of poetry to inform perceptions is dynamic, and what is at first an individual experience becomes a catalyst for a shared experience.”
This position was started by FHSU instructors, Linda McHenry, and Linda Smith. According to Smith, “My colleague, Linda McHenry first mentioned the idea. She had the vision that an undergraduate student, who writes poetry and is enthusiastic about the spoken word, would be an excellent candidate to share poetry with others, to spread that enthusiasm to a broader audience.”
“Although unusual, by offering a poet laureate position to an undergraduate student has two primary benefits for the student: an opportunity to work with a faculty mentor (the FHSU Poet Laureate Mentor) to help hone their poetic craft and explore publishing opportunities, AND to serve as FHSU Poet Laureate, representing our university to others in a variety of venues, including campus activities and events designed for public schools and communities.”
Whoever fills this new position will be working directly with Poet Laureate Mentor, Morgan Chalfant. Mr. Chalfant is also an instructor with the English department at Fort Hays.
Smith mentions this is position will help the winner develop writing, presentation, and publishing skills, “while developing and participating in experiences (events and activities) designed to engage a broad demographic of other people.” The FHSU Poet Laureate may not be a paying position, “but the benefits of this unique position are valuable beyond monetary gain. And, just think of the résumé entry! How many people do you know who can write, “Poet Laureate” on their résumés?”
FHSU Instructor & Coordinator of Composition Assessment, Linda McHenry– “An effective poet laureate will voice genuinely and effectively their experiences, as well as some of their fellow classmates’ experience.”
McHenry follows up on this with, “not just as an FHSU Poet Laureate but as the first-ever FHSU Poet Laureate! This first-time opportunity really gives the student room to reach beyond our university community and connect with others.“
Again, the due date for applications is November 2nd, the winner will be announced in December, and any FHSU undergraduate students (regardless of major) can apply for this position.
Applications for this year’s Poet Laureate can be found by following the link below.
Here: https://www.fhsu.edu/english/fhsu-poet-laureate
“The FHSU Poet Laureate position is both a gift to the undergraduate student and a gift to those who will learn more about poetry and be introduced to poems new and old.” – Linda Smith
FHSU Instructor & Poet Laureate Mentor, Morgan Chalfant
Story Record:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NqPr4dkqYA6aWMOYQd3TloFG6YP0JhkM1I06gi9IWq4/edit?usp=sharing
Hey Nevin,
This is a really solid piece. Just a few things that needed to be cleaned up. You still need to work on the source set ups, you don’t need to say “Smith said in an interview, “quote quote quote. Just drop the intro and go right into the quote in many cases.
I also need to know who specifically said the quote in the fourth paragraph. Two people can’t say something, so if you could email me who said that, I can get the story posted with a few minor edits.
Good work!