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THE CITY OF 13 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT pLEASANTON. January 15, 2013 Community Services TITLE: APPROVE APPOINTMENTS FOR TWO (2) TEEN POET LAUREATE POSITIONS SUMMARY The primary role of the City's Poet Laureate program is to provide appropriate poetry at civic events, and promote the appreciation of the literary arts in the community for a two-year period. On August 6, 2012, the City's Poet Laureate, Cynthia Bryant, unexpectedly resigned. Prior to beginning the process of recruiting for a City Poet Laureate, staff also received direction to begin the recruitment process for a Teen Poet Laureate. As a result, the City received eight (8) applicants for the Teen Poet Laureate position and one (1) applicant for the Adult Poet Laureate position. Due to the high level of qualified applicants for the Teen Poet Laureate position and the desire to reach a broader range of youth through poetry, it has been recommended that the City Council appoint two (2) Teen Poet Laureates; one (1) student from Amador High School and one (1) student from Foothill High School. Unfortunately, since the City only received one (1) application for the Adult Poet Laureate position, after reviewing the application, and interviewing the candidate, it has been recommended that an Adult Poet Laureate not be appointed at this time but instead allow the application process to remain open until a sufficient number of qualified candidates have applied. CIVIC ARTS COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the appointments of Arany Uthayakumar as the Teen Poet Laureate representing Amador High School for one (1) school year term; and Diana Fu as the Teen Poet Laureate representing Foothill High School for one (1) school year term. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the appointments of Arany Uthayakumar as the Teen Poet Laureate representing Amador High School for one (1) school year term; and Diana Fu as the Teen Poet Laureate representing Foothill High School for one (1) school year term. FINANCIAL STATEMENT The City Poet Laureate receives no remuneration. Any expenses related to the Poet Laureate program, i.e. supplies for workshops, poetry readings, etc., are allocated within the Community Services Department's operating budget, and total approximately $2,000.