St. Pete's about to get what Tampa has had for years — a poet laureate — and we're happy to report he's one of us. Peter Meinke writes the "Poet's Notebook" column for Creative Loafing, and in a proclamation today from St. Petersburg City Council, he will be named the city's first poet-in-chief.
The title of "poet laureate" is derived from the Latin word for "laurel," as in laurel wreath, the traditional emblem of victory. The distinction has been awarded to poets since the 17th century in England, where there was much ado recently about the fact that a woman had finally been named to the position. The U.S. selected its first PL in 1986, Tampa gave James Tokley the title in 1986, and now, finally, there's St. Pete, whose selection of a poet laureate was spearheaded by a Poynter Institute-based group called City of Writers that aims to enrich the town's literary culture.
So what's a poet laureate do? Well, that's sort of up to the titleholder himself, says Meinke, who expects that readings will be part of the (non-paying) job. But he's taking it all with a grain of salt.
This article appears in May 13-19, 2009.