Newtown Cultural Arts Commission (NCAC) will be appointing a new Town of Newtown poet laureate this spring. The new laureate will hold the position through autumn 2021.

Newtown’s First Poet Laureate, Lisa Schwartz, originally appointed in 2015 and now serving her second term, will be resigning her position September 30. Ms Schwartz will be moving out of the area this year.

As happened when Ms Schwartz was appointed, the Board of Selectmen has asked NCAC to recruit, screen, and recommend a poet laureate to the Board of Selectman.

The volunteer post of poet laureate was created by the Board of Selectmen in 2015. Among the duties of the honorary position are to serve as an ambassador in the greater arts community; to foster public appreciation of and participation in poetry and literary arts; to be present for at least one public event per year as requested by the Newtown Board of Selectmen and/or NCAC; and to serve as an auxiliary member of NCAC.

Although the term is traditionally for three years, the poet laureate appointed this year will serve the remainder of Ms Schwartz’s term, which continues until September 30, 2021.

The deadline for applying and submitting samples of work is April 6. Applications are available at newtownartscommission.org; click on NCAC Projects, and then Poet Laureate.

Applications should be sent to Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown, CT 06470. Applications may also be left with Sue Marcinek, executive assistant in the office of the First Selectman, at the municipal center.

The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Selectmen in May. Announcement of the poet laureate will be made June 1.

When Newtown appointed its first Poet Laureate in 2015, there were eight poets laureate in the state. Now there are 28, all part of the Connecticut Coalition of Poets Laureate. The State Poet Laureate is Margaret Gibson of Preston.