Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature has announced an open call for a Nature Poet Laureate...
Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature has announced an open call for a Nature Poet Laureate. The opportunity is aimed at an early-career writer (under the age of 35) that lives, earns or learns in Nottinghamshire to tell their stories and share their vision for the future with audiences locally, nationally and internationally.
It is hoped that the work of the Nature Poet Laureate will promote thought, discussion and works centering on our relationship with nature. It will also strengthen and establish new partnerships with community organisations in Nottingham. The role follows on from the previous role of Nottingham’s Young Poet Laureate, also created by Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature and was held by Georgina Wilding (pictured above) from 2017-2019.
Those applying for the role will require a certain set of skills, outside of poetry talent, in order to maximise the potential of the project, including:
- Experience of public speaking
- Experience of and passion for engaging and facilitating poetry in community settings
- An awareness of the issues affecting young people in Nottingham and globally
- A wide knowledge of poetry and the poetry landscape.
The Nature Poet Laureate will inspire and empower young audiences through poetry. They will experiment with new approaches to ensure disenfranchised young people engage proactively with poetry as a form of creative expression. The Laureate’s role is also about celebrating talent, providing a platform for commenting on environmental issues from the viewpoint of an emerging creative, and cultivating confidence and creativity in young people allowing them to thrive. This opportunity will receive a stipend covering 1 day per month for an 18-month tenure, and will sit alongside a broader community engagement programme co-delivered by Nottingham City of Literature and local community facilitators.
The key aims for this project are:
- To mentor and develop emerging creative talent
- To promote poetry, literature and amplify less-represented young voices to Nottingham people
- To help the writer reach readers internationally through the UNESCO Creative Cities network
- To inspire Nottingham’s young people to discover their own voice in poetry, and explore creative opportunities to engage and educate about the climate emergency
- To provide us with essential insights into what it means to be young; their hopes, aspirations and change they would like to see for the future.
Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature have created an information pack which explores in detail the rationale and ambition for this programme. View that below.
If you would like to apply to be Nottingham's Nature Poet Laureate then you can find more information and guidance on the Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature website. Applications close on Monday 28 April 2025.
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