March 1, 2011 11.02 am This story is over 156 months old

County-wide search for Poet Laureate

Poet hunt: Lincolnshire is hunting for a poet to represent the county as part of the Olympic Games.

Interviews to find the county’s first Poet Laureate are underway in Lincoln.

The Poet Laureate post is being created as part of the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It is part of the Igniting Ambition programme, which is a showcase of arts, heritage and media projects around Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

So far, over 40 people in Lincolnshire have taken interest in the poetry role, with 19 applying (six female, 13 male).

David Lambert of cultural solutions said: “The idea of Lincolnshire having its own Poet Laureate really seems to have captured the imagination of the UK’s literary scene.

“Our youngest applicant was 16. As well as poets from Lincolnshire we had applications from York, Sheffield, Cambridge, Hull, Lancaster, Grasmere and Mansfield.

“It was a diverse range of applicants, from very academic, traditional poetry to spoken word and performance poetry.”

Other than representing the county, the chosen Laureate will keep the post initially for six months, working with people in Lincolnshire to encourage creating poetry.

He or she will also have to write a poem each month, which will be uploaded onto the Igniting Ambition and Lincolnshire County Council websites.

The winner will be announced after the final interviews have taken place in the next few weeks.

The project is funded by independent charity Legacy Trust UK, set up to build a cultural and sporting legacy from the Olympic Games.

Source: cultural solutions | Photo: Beppie K