The search is now underway for Putnam Poet Laureate
PUTNAM — With the goal to enhance its vibrant arts scene, Putnam is looking for a poet laureate.
Carmine Angeloni, from the town’s Poet Laureate Selection Committee, said: “Our country has formally recognized poetry as a significant art form with the honorary position of United States Poet Laureate since 1937. The State of Connecticut has appointed Poets Laureate since 1985”
By early February 2026, the Town of Putnam will formally join the 50-plus cities and towns in the state with its first Poet Laureate
Putnam’s Economic and Community Development Director Mary Ann Chinatti said: “Poets Laureate are an important, and oftentimes overlooked, part of the arts. Through poetry and verse, they remind us of what is important in our lives and our town, and how fortunate we are to live in such a caring and vibrant community.”
Committee members said: “We are excited for this milestone, as it will highlight Putnam’s continuing commitment to artistic expression in all its forms. Our committee’s vision is for Putnam Poet Laureate to serve a two-year term, be a literary ambassador to the community, performing readings as requested, and receive guidance through quarterly meetings with the Putnam Arts Council.”
This opportunity is open to all members of the Putnam community 18 years and older, with a Jan. 8 deadline for a five copy submission packet to include application information, and at least three one-page poems submitted either by email to
After candidate interviews by the committee during January, the Town of Putnam’s first Poet Laureate will be announced at the first Board of Selectman meeting in February.
The Poet Laureate Selection Committee includes: Carmine Angeloni, Anne Lamondy, Katie Jambard and Gloria Marion.
In all cases and in all eras, poetry gives voice to the deepest human feelings beyond everyday language: grief, love, heartbreak, anger, joy, hope. Where prose explains, poetry expresses. And with the power of its unique structural rhythm, each pause between verse and word gives the reader the space to slow down, to reflect and process. Poetry is recognized to have cultural value, as well, capturing the spirit of a particular age; poems that challenge authority, champion equality, and voice dissent.
Poetry is often called “the art of emotion”, and for good reason. This singular art form dates back 3000 years BC, to lands of current day Iraq, as a method of telling the many stories of gods and human struggle, enduring through the times of Homer’s written epic poems of 8th century Greece, to the 20th and 21st century words of Eliot, Plath, Frost, Yeats, cummings, Wordsworth, Snyder, and even Eminem.
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