A Poet Laureate for Arlington?

At a recent meeting, Selectman Joseph Curro Jr. proposed the idea of creating the honorary position, Poet Laureate of Arlington.

At his request, the Board of Selectmen put a poet laureate bylaw amendment on the upcoming Town Meeting Warrant. The board will vote at a later whether or not to support the bylaw amendment, which, if passed at Town Meeting, would create the position. Curro said he is also looking into whether the new position requires a bylaw amendment, or just simple board action.

Curro said, as he sees it, the poet laureate would not be compensated. The poet laureate might be tasked with creating a piece of work on the town to be read at Town Meeting or work with local students, he said.

Selectman Steven Byrne said he liked the idea.

Curro said the idea came from conversations he had with Arlington Libraries Director Ryan Livergood last summer. He said the town has taken steps to support other art forms, such as the visual public arts, in the recent past.

Would you like to see a Poet Laureate of Arlington position created?