Minneapolis is currently facing a budget shortfall of approximately $60 million. To rectify that, Mayor Jacob Frey has proposed a dramatic 11.3% increase in the city’s property tax levy and has recommended that Minneapolis cut 100 city jobs.
However, the city is currently partnering with the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis to find the next “Minneapolis Poet Laureate.” That person will be paid $16,000 by the city.
According to the Loft Literary Center, the next Minneapolis Poet Laureate will be selected by a panel of representatives from the city and the Loft Literary Center. Interested parties can apply for the position now through Oct. 7.
The poet laureate will serve from Jan. 1, 2027 through the end of 2028 and receive an honorarium totaling $16,000 across those two years.
Whoever is chosen to be the next poet laureate will write “an official poem for the City of Minneapolis reflecting on a current moment in the City of Minneapolis.”
Further, the poet laureate will serve as “an official ambassador of the city’s literary culture,” participate in city events, teach courses at the Loft Literary Center, and advance “the artform of poetry in [Minneapolis] as an avenue for deep engagement in our community.”
The Minneapolis Poet Laureate program has existed for several years. The current poet laureate is Junauda Petrus.
Alpha News contacted the City of Minneapolis about the Poet Laureate program. A city spokesperson said the $16,000 honorarium comes from Minneapolis’ Arts & Cultural Affairs (ACA) budget, “which comes from the [city’s] General Fund.”
Property tax revenue is the main source of income for the General Fund.
Alpha News asked if the city had any comment on spending $16,000 for a poet when Minneapolis is facing a $60 million budget shortfall.
“The City is committed to providing cultural services and arts programs with the budget shortfall, and the Poet Laureate program is one of the signature programs in the ACA Department,” the Minneapolis spokesperson said.
“The City also values the role that the poet laureate plays in our city and community (and nationally), and the services that the poet provides far outweigh the modest sum that we afford the poet on a yearly basis,” she added.
Additionally, the spokesperson noted that Frey’s budget proposal reduces Minneapolis’ arts budget and some of its programs, “but the Poet Laureate program will remain intact.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
