[Editor’s Note: The presentation Dr. Hoult, a candidate for poet laureate, intends to deliver at tonight’s 7 o’clock City Council meeting at City Hall.]
Honorable Mayor O’Leary and City Councilmembers,
Since the question of appointing a Poet Laureate for Culver City has arisen, it has been my privilege to work with members of the Cultural Affairs Commission to see how a procedure could be developed to ensure that Culver City will have laureates celebrating the creativity in our city.
Commissioner John B. Williams came up with the idea of Artists Laureate to include areas listed in the powers and duties of the Cultural Affairs Commission — fine arts, visual arts, performing arts and the area for which the City Council will receive a request to add – the literary arts.
The Cultural Affairs Commission has been a marvelous advocate for cultural activities and programs within the city.
The Commission will continue to do so with the development of the Artists Laureate program. The recognition provided by such a program will be good for the city and for the artists.
When the subcommittee put forth the proposal, I indicated that I would be honored to serve in an honorary position as does our excellent historian, Julie Lugo Cerra.
In addition to creating possible procedures for the selection of future Artists Laureate in all categories, I will continue my efforts to focus on poetry for the 2017 Centennial.
At the last City Council meeting, you heard Angie Waller, one of the students in my poetry class at the Senior Center, read her excellent poem about Fiesta La Ballona.
This week I’m meeting with Lloyd Clayton at the Mayme Clayton Museum to see how we can offer poetry classes there and plan poetry events.
If the City Council moves to appoint me to the position of Honorary Artist Laureate, I will provide updates on the development of the procedures to both the Cultural Affairs Commission, whose subcommittee I anticipate working with, and to the City Council.
All artists – not only poets – should be recognized and honored. Artists Laureate awards will establish Culver City as a city which cherishes its creative people.
As you know, poetry is my field.
I will leave you with a few lines from my poem:
Word Painting
Words that the poet finds
Paint clearer pictures in our minds
Word choice makes mental pictures lush
Words are the paint, the poet the brush.
Dr. Hoult may be contacted at HOULTight@aol.com
