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BACKGROUND On November 17, 1998, the City Council approved the Civic Arts Commission's recommendation to create the position of Pleasanton Poet Laureate. The primary role of the Poet Laureate is to provide appropriate poetry at civic events, and promote the appreciation of the literary arts in the community. Past Poet Laureates have established a wonderful tradition of Poetry readings at the Century House, while using their unique styles in developing new programs for the community. Some of these include television broadcasts and the establishment of the Poetry, Prose and Arts Festival. In 2001, the City's Poet Laureate Program also won an award from the National Conference of Mayors. Past Poet Laureates include: • Charlene Villella (1999 — 2001) • Jim Ott (2001 — 2003) • Kirk Ridgeway (2003 — 2005) • Cynthia Bryant (2005 — 2007) • Martha Meltzer (2007 — 2009) • Deborah Grossman (2009 — 2011) • Cynthia Bryant (2011-2012) As part of the Poet Laureate process the City established a Poet Laureate Selection Committee to review submitted materials, interview candidates, rind recommend candidates for the Adult Poet Laureate and Teen Poet Laureate positions. The Selection Committee was comprised of the following representatives: • Tegan McLane -Civic Arts Commissioner • Fred Norman - Non-Academic Poet/Community Member • Judy Wheeler - Community-At-Large • Jill Vellinger - Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council • Erik Scherer- Pleasanton Unified School District • Julie Finegan — Visual and Literary Art Coordinator While Teen Poet Laureates were mentored by the City's Poet Laureate in the past, no formal recruitment process or appointments were made. This year the City received great interest from the community to formalize the Teen Poet Laureate program. As a result, the City formalized the program and began the recruitment process for both the Adult Poet Laureate and Teen Poet Laureate positions. The City received one (1) application for the Adult Poet Laureate position and eight (8) applications for the Teen Poet Laureate position. Page 2 of 3