BCCC Launches Search for Next Poet Laureate

The search is on for the 37th Bucks County Poet Laureate, according to Christopher Bursk and Charlie Groth, directors of the longest-running poet laureate program in Pennsylvania.

To enter, you must be a Bucks County resident 18 and older who has never previously served as poet laureate. The program is organized by Bucks County Community College. 

Each entrant must submit 10 original poems by Sept. 10, along with an entry form to the college’s Department of Language and Literature.

The winner of the competition will receive a $500 honorarium, a proclamation from the Bucks County Commissioners and a reading at Bucks County Community College with 2012 Poet Laureate Lara Adams Gaydos and contest runners-up. 

This year’s final judge will be Joan Aleshire, author of five books, most recently Happily and a faculty member of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. Preliminary judge will be Martha McFerren, author of Archeology ofMidnight and a number of other books. 

There is no charge to enter. Poetry of any style, form, or length is welcome. All work must be original, published or unpublished, typewritten or word-processed on one side only in black ink. 

All entries must be accompanied by an entry form, which can be obtained online at http://bit.ly/buckscountylaureate.

For more information, call 215-968-8156.