Words that inspire, inform, entertain — that’s what it’ll take to become the next Heart of the Pamlico poet laureate.

Pamlico Writers’ Group is on the search for its 2020 poet laureate, an accomplished poet residing in eastern North Carolina.

“The Heart of the Pamlico Poet Laureate will serve as the ambassador of eastern North Carolina’s vibrant literary life, promoting its poetry community and celebrating the written word in North Carolina, always mindful of the fact that poetry matters,” a press release from the writers’ group states.

Pamlico Writers’ Group first launched the Heart of the Pamlico poet laureate in 2017; their first winner was Malaika King Albrecht, a poet from Ayden who has published four books of poetry, including “The Stumble Fields,” released in the fall. As Heart of the Pamlico poet laureate, Albrecht led workshops and took part in panel discussions at the 2018 Pamlico Writer’s Group Writers Conference.

The job of poet laureate also includes:

• promoting poetry as a form of communication having value in this ever- changing world, most especially in the lives of eastern North Carolina residents;
• inspiring an emerging generation of poets and writers;
• encouraging the reading and writing of poetry;
• promoting poetry as a literary genre that has deep roots among people of all ages and cultures.

Pamlico Writers’ Group members first created the position in honor of one of the group’s founders, Jerry Cuthrell, and in recent years, poetry has seen a resurgence in popularity, according to PWG steering committee member Eileen Lettick.

“Many would say we’re going through the golden years of poetry,” Lettick said in a past interview. “People are being more creative and more vocal with their thoughts, and writing them down on paper is a great way to communicate them.”

Finalists for the Heart of the Pamlico Poet Laureate will compete for the title and a cash award with a live reading on April 3 at the Turnage Theatre in Washington, kicking off the annual writers’ conference. Applications for the award, and submission guidelines, can be found at pamlicowritersgroup.org/event-3663670 and submissions are being accepted from Jan. 5 until March 20.

For more information about Pamlico Writers’ Group, visit www.pamlicowritersgroup.org.