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Project/Program <br />Summary <br />Ov er a decade ago, a group of community members & artists began <br />discussing ways Hillsborough could host regular poetry readings. <br />After a series of ev ents and conv ersations with Town officials, the <br />Hillsborough Arts Council (HAC) inherited the Hillsborough Poet <br />Laureate program and was successful in coordinating these efforts <br />for sev eral terms. <br />Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic began at the end of the last <br />Poet Laureate's term, halting progress on finding the next successor <br />and limiting the opportunities for poetry programming to flourish. <br />Nonetheless, HAC has remained committed to reinv igorating this <br />important program. Since 2021, HAC Staff and Board of Directors <br />hav e been exploring new av enues for showcasing literary arts, and <br />during the height of the pandemic, a v irtual "W riter's Series" program <br />was launched. In 2022, for the second season in a row, monthly Last <br />Fridays & the Art W alk ev ents consistently feature a dynamic <br />selection of spoken word artists through collaborations with former <br />Hillsborough Poet Laureate, W illiam Dav is, as the host. Through <br />these initiativ es, HAC has engaged new audiences and artists, and <br />has determined a significant gap that exists in our creativ e <br />community that HAC is well-positioned to fill. <br />In order to re-launch the Poet Laureate Program in the context of <br />Hillsborough's modern cultural landscape, HAC seeks funding to <br />offer quarterly poetry & spoken word workshops. Grassroots funds <br />will support these efforts, allowing HAC to engage div erse <br />communities, educate aspiring poets of all backgrounds, platform <br />local teaching artists, and ultimately, create a pipeline for the future <br />of Hillsborough's Poet Laureate program. <br />Project Start Date <br />(no earlier than July <br />1, 2022) <br />August 26, 2022 <br />Project End Date (no <br />later than June 30, <br />2023) <br />June 30, 2023 <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 186FF265-BEAA-4CC2-8D65-72C0A02D685E