To promote and encourage appreciation of poetry and literary life in Hawaiʻi and the poetry community while inspiring an emerging generation of new writers. Program launched in 2022 as a collaboration of the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, and the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA).
This designation recognizes and honors a Hawaiʻi poet of exceptional talent and accomplishment. The Poet Laureate will serve a multiyear term, subject to the determination of SFCA Commissioners. Duties include:
The Hawaiʻi Poet Laureate will be selected based on:
Nominations may be made by an organization or individual. Self-nominations are allowed.
The first step in making a nomination is to email a completed Poet Laureate Nomination Form to [email protected]. Once the form has been reviewed and approved by SFCA staff, you will receive an email with permission to move on to the next step of the nomination process. If your nominee has already been nominated, you will be asked to submit a letter of support.
If you receive permission to proceed, the second step is to email the following to [email protected]:
When a nomination has been approved, the nominee will receive an invitation code via email to access the application on Hawaii.GoSmart.org (see below). The nominee will provide the following material via Hawaii.GoSmart.org: