City Poet has the first word
Arts NSW and the University of Technology’s Centre for New Writing have appointed Sydney’s first City Poet.
The year-long position went to 31-year-old Kate Middleton, a wordsmith who not only has a royal name but a royal title for Sydneysiders as well.
Her name topped the list of 70 applicants and the shortlist of six artists.
Professor John Dale, head of the Centre for New Writing at UTS, said he was surprised by the amount of interest in the City Poet position.
“In addition to the applications we had over 50 inquiries by writers from all over the country,” he said.
As City Poet, Ms Middleton will produce six “ekphrastic” poems which are written representations of visual art.
Professor Dale said Ms Middleton would also “mentor other younger poets, attend workshops and poetry duels and give public readings on her artwork.”
Although a number of established poets applied for the position, Professor Dale said the panel wanted to choose an emerging artist.
“We wanted someone who had only published one or two books,” he said. “The idea was to find an emerging writer who could bring poetry back to young people.”
Ms Middleton, who will receive a $20,000 stipend from the State Government for her term as City Poet said she had landed her ideal job.
“Being an advocate for poetry, literature and literacy is a dream type of position,” she said. “I hope this is a position of outreach. I hope to reach people who wouldn’t normally consider themselves poetry fans and readers.”
She said she hopes to break through the perception of poetry as something difficult or elitist.
“The idea is that every city has a different rhythm which comes from the poetry and you can hear it through the poems,” Ms Middleton said.
By Deborah Erwin
