Living Poets Project 2027

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LIVING POETS PROJECT, A POET LAUREATE PROGRAM

Connecting today’s poets with young people in Boston schools.

ABOUT THE LIVING POETS PROJECT

The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, in partnership with Boston Poet Laureate Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah and Boston Public Schools Library Services, invites Boston-area poets and teaching artists to apply for the Living Poets Project, designed to bring poetry to life with young people across the city.

Poetry is not only something young people encounter in books or study from the past. Young people deserve to know that the story of poetry does not end in a yellow wood, upon a midnight dreary, or in Langston Hughes' "Harlem." The story of poetry is being written right now by the poets in and outside of Boston, young and old, writing today. The Living Poets Project brings this living tradition into Boston schools, creating opportunities for young people living in the city of Boston to connect with the very alive poets writing and existing alongside them today.

Through this initiative, poets facilitate readings, workshops, collaborative writing, conversations, and other interactive literary experiences in Boston schools, sharing their work and creative practice while creating opportunities for students to engage with poetry and explore their own voices.

Schools will apply separately to host poetry events. Interested schools may apply here.

Goals and Strategy

The Living Poets Project is part of MOAC’s broader mission to hardwire arts, culture, and the creative economy into the fabric of Boston. By bringing working poets and their creative practices into Boston schools, the project supports Boston’s creative workforce, makes more space for creativity, and expands opportunities for young people to participate in cultural life.

The Living Poets Project aims to:

Get young Bostonians excited about poetry;
Give young people opportunities to hear living poets read; and
Create space for young people to write and read their own poetry, and maybe even consider if they might be living poets too.

OPPORTUNITY AT A GLANCE + IMPORTANT DATES

Who: Poets and teaching artists from the Boston area

Opportunity: Short-term, project-based contract

Compensation: $700 per project

Number of Projects: 7

Location: Boston Public Schools

Application Opens: October 26, 2026

Application Closes: Monday, December 7, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Office Hour/Q&A:

Office Hours # 1: Monday, November 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. on Zoom. This is a virtual-only meeting.
Office Hours # 2: Monday, November 30, 2026, 5:00 p.m. on Zoom. This is a virtual-only meeting.

Anticipated Notification: Late January

Matched with School: Late January

Project Period: February 2027 - June 2027

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR + ELIGIBILITY

We are seeking poets who are excited to:

Share their craft with young people
Create space for young people’s voices
Cultivate an atmosphere of fun, curiosity, creativity, and leadership
Celebrate poetry!

Applicants must:

Be 18 years of age or older.
Be available to facilitate an in-person project between February and June 2027
Review and complete the required Conflict of Interest certification.

Applicants are not eligible if:

They participated in the Living Poets Project during the previous cycle. Previous participants must wait at least one year before participating again.

We welcome poets who are emerging in their youth engagement practice.

THE APPLICATION

We invite poets to propose poetry-centered experiences that bring their work and creative practice into Boston schools. Projects may include a reading, workshop, collaborative writing session, poetry circle, conversation, or another creative literary format.

We encourage projects that invite young people to participate rather than solely experience a performance, and that create opportunities for young people to build confidence, connection, curiosity, and creativity. This opportunity is centered in the practice of being a living poet in community with young people. We also encourage projects that reflect Boston’s diversity.

Your Proposal

Project Description: A clear description of the class, workshop, reading, or activation. What experience do you hope to create for young people? What do you hope youth will take away from this experience? How will youth be invited into the project? What is the length of the project?
- Session lengths should be between 40–60 minutes to accommodate classroom schedules. Poets may propose one or more sessions. For example, two "50-minute sessions" to take place across a school day; however, all sessions must fit within a single project scope and are covered by one $700 honorarium.
Intended Participants: Which age group you would like to work with (elementary, middle, or high school students)? Why are you drawn to working with this age group? What is the ideal group size for your project?
Motivation and Experience: What draws you to the Living Poets Project? What experiences, both lived and professional, do you bring to this work? How do you cultivate a safe and generative space in your work with young people?
Format Logistics: Do you have any technical needs? (e.g. a projector, microphone, podium, etc.) Are there any limits to when you can schedule your programming (time of day, day of the week, certain months, etc.)?

HOW TO APPLY

Ready to apply? The application is available on Submittable here. If you are a first-time applicant, you will need to create an account with Submittable. Updates will be made through this account, so we recommend using an email address that you check regularly.

While we strongly prefer to have all proposals submitted online, we also accept handwritten hard copies using our paper application. Hard copies can be picked up at:

The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, 26 Court Street, Floor 2, Boston, MA 02108.

Application Deadline + Technical Issues

The Living Poets Project will be open from October 26, 2026 through December 7, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.

If you are submitting a handwritten hard copy, it must be received via mail no later than December 7, 2026 at 5:00 p.m., or hand-delivered to MOAC’s office by 5:00 p.m. on December 7. MOAC’s office can be found at:

Attn: Thomas Johnston

Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture

26 COURT STREET

FLOOR 2

BOSTON, MA 02108

Late applications will not be accepted, and MOAC staff cannot assist with incomplete applications after 5:00 p.m. We recommend submitting before the deadline so there is time to resolve any technical problems.

If you do experience any last-minute technical issues, please email us before the 5:00 p.m. deadline and include:

A copy of the completed application
A screenshot or description of the technical problem
The name of the applicant
Applicant contact information

Application Support

MOAC will host two virtual office hours for applicants to discuss the Living Poets Project and application. The office hours schedule is as follows:

You can access office hours using the links below:

Monday, November 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. on Zoom. This is a virtual-only meeting.
Monday, November 30, 2026, 5:00 p.m. on Zoom. This is a virtual-only meeting.

In addition, you can read an application that was selected last year to get a sense of what a strong application and proposal can look like.

If you have any further questions, please contact Tom Johnston at thomas.johnston@boston.gov with "Living Poets Year 2" in the subject line, or leave a message at (617) 635-4445 and someone will be in touch with you.

SELECTION PROCESS + CRITERIA

The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) and Boston Poet Laureate Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah will facilitate the selection process in partnership with two professionals from the Boston literary community. The review team will assess all proposals and determine the strongest candidates to move forward using this rubric.

Selected poets and teaching artists will be responsible for:

Facilitating the approved project
Coordinating their own transportation to and from their assigned school
Communicating in a timely manner with the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and the Boston Public Schools Library Services regarding all aspects of the project. MOAC and BPS Library Services will coordinate scheduling between participating schools and selected poets.
Completing required background check and clearance before working with students.
Registering as a City of Boston vendor and submitting an invoice for payment. A Supplier/Vendor ID is a unique 10-digit number that is assigned, owned, and managed by the City of Boston to identify anyone doing business with or receiving funding from the City. You can go here to learn how to create a Supplier/Vendor ID.
Submitting out a final report within 30 days of the project’s completion

Processing of the $700 contract fee may take up to 30 days following the completion of the project and receipt of invoice and all required payment documentation.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

All applicants must certify compliance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 268A (the “Conflict of Interest Law”).

For example, a potential conflict of interest may exist if an applicant, or any immediate family member of the applicant, is currently, or has been within the past twelve (12) months, an employee, agent, consultant, officer, or elected or appointed official of the City of Boston. These are not the only situations in which a conflict may arise and applicants are responsible for ensuring they are in compliance with Ch. 268A.

Applicants should carefully review the required Conflict of Interest Certification included in the application materials and provide any required documentation. You can find additional information on the Conflict of Interest Law here and can seek advice from the State Ethics Commission here.

ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS

If you need accommodations, assistance with your application, or if you have any further questions, please contact Tom Johnston at thomas.johnston@boston.gov with "Living Poets Year 2" in the subject line, or leave a message at (617) 635-4445 and someone will be in touch with you.

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.

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