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The City of Minneapolis is partnering with the Loft Literary Center to select its next poet laureate, offering a $16,000 honorarium for a two-year term, even as city leadership navigates a $60 million budget shortfall, according to reports from Alpha News and the Loft Literary Center.
Program Details and Timeline
The appointed poet laureate will serve from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2028. According to the Loft Literary Center, the chosen writer will receive an $8,000 annual honorarium delivered in quarterly installments, totaling $16,000 across the two-year tenure. Applications remain open through October 7, 2026. A selection panel comprising members of the Minneapolis Arts Commission and other arts community representatives will review candidates.
Eligible applicants must be active professional poets at least 21 years of age, reside in Hennepin County, and maintain a significant connection to the Minneapolis community, with preference given to city residents. Responsibilities include writing an official poem reflecting on a current moment in Minneapolis, serving as an ambassador for the city’s literary culture, participating in civic ceremonies, and teaching courses through the Loft Literary Center. Erdrich and Junauda Petrus, who currently holds the position.
Budget Context and City Response
The recruitment coincides with municipal budget constraints. To address the gap, Mayor Jacob Frey has recommended cutting 100 city jobs and proposed an 11.3% increase in the property tax levy, which serves as the primary revenue source for the city’s General Fund.
When questioned about funding the poet laureate program amid these deficits, a city spokesperson told Alpha News that the $16,000 honorarium is drawn from the Arts & Cultural Affairs (ACA) Department budget.
“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 spokesperson stated, adding that the services provided by the poet “far outweigh the modest sum that we afford the poet on an yearly basis.”
While Mayor Frey’s budget proposal reduces some arts programs and funding, the poet laureate position is slated to remain intact.
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