Fairfax County Poet Laureate
Through the designation of a Fairfax County Poet Laureate, ArtsFairfax celebrates and supports a poet to raise the visibility of poetry, engage new audiences, and encourage the creation of poetry and other literary works in Northern Virginia.
About the Fairfax County Poet Laureate Program
The Fairfax County Poet Laureate program recognizes a professional poet’s achievements and their demonstrated history of accomplishments; promotes a professional poet’s continued pursuit of creative work; and creates new opportunities for the Poet Laureate to connect with Fairfax County communities through the sharing of poetry. The Fairfax County Poet Laureate is a distinguished appointment that highlights the importance of poetry and literary arts in Fairfax County.
Angelique Palmer, Fairfax County Poet Laureate 2024-2027
“It means everything to me to be named the Fairfax County Poet Laureate. This honor will change my life, and I want to use my time to change the lives of others, too. Over the next three years, I will share freely with everyone how much I love my chosen art form of poetry!”
– Angelique Palmer
Request to Host the Fairfax Poet Laureate
The Fairfax County Poet Laureate is available for weekend visits to libraries, community events, readings, workshops, conferences, and more. Requests must be made at least one month in advance through this portal.
Fairfax County Poet Laureate Selection
About the Program
Dates & Deadlines
The current Fairfax County Poet Laurate is serving a 3-year term anticipated to last from October 2024 – September 2027.
The term for the next Fairfax County Poet Laurate is expected to take place between October 2027 – September 2030.
Anticipated Selection Timeline:
Guidelines
The full list of eligibility criteria, including publication and professional requirements and funding restrictions begins on page 4 of the Fairfax County Poet Laureate Guidelines linked below.
Application & Templates
We anticipate the application cycle will reopen in April 2027.
Required Application Documentation:
Evaluation Criteria & Selection
Following the application deadline, ArtsFairfax staff determines whether an applicant is eligible and whether an application is complete. Staff may contact applicants for additional information needed to make an eligibility determination. If an applicant is determined to be ineligible, the application will be rejected without evaluation. Also, incomplete applications are subject to rejection without evaluation. If an application is rejected, the applicant will be notified by email.
The ArtsFairfax Board of Directors will make the final selection based on the recommendations of the panel and the overall goals of the Poet Laureate Program.
Stay curious...
Poetry in the Parks By Danielle Badra
→
Poetry Lives Here By Nicole Tong
→
Kimberly Scott
→
Artist & Community Partnerships Manager kscott@artsfairfax.org
Photo captions and credits (top to bottom): Poetry in the Parks; Angelique Palmer (c) Du Col Portraits; Angelique Palmer (c) Du Col Portraits.