College launches search for the next bard of Bucks

NEWTOWN - The search is on for the 37th Bucks County Poet Laureate, according to Drs. Christopher Bursk and Charlie Groth, directors of the longest-running poet laureate program in Pennsylvania.

Entrants must be a Bucks County resident over age 18 who has never previously served as poet laureate, explained Bursk, the 1978 poet laureate and a longtime professor at Bucks County Community College, which administers the program. Each entrant must submit 10 original poems by Tuesday September 10 along with an entry form to the college’s Department of Language and Literature.

The winner of the competition will receive a $500 honorarium, a proclamation from the Bucks County Commissioners, and a reading at Bucks County Community College with 2012 Poet Laureate Lara Adams Gaydos and contest runners-up.

This year’s final judge will be Joan Aleshire, author of five books, most recently Happily and a faculty member of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. Preliminary judge will be Martha McFerren, author of Archeology of Midnight and a number of other books.

There is no charge for entry. Poetry of any style, form, or length is welcome. All work must be original, published or unpublished, typewritten or word-processed on one side only in black ink. All entries must be accompanied by an entry form, which can be obtained online at http://bit.ly/buckscountylaureate, at libraries and bookstores throughout the county, or by contacting the Dept. of Language & Literature at 215-9688151. For more information, contact Dr. Christopher Bursk at 215-968-8156.