Wednesday, Sep. 01, 2010

Search for laureate begins

Apply through Sept. 20

The Raleigh Arts Commission and its partners are looking for a writer of creative non-fiction to be the third Piedmont Laureate.

Unlike most laureate programs, this one honors different genres of literature each year.

In 2009, poet Jaki Shelton Green won the title. The 2010 Piedmont Laureate is novelist Zelda Lockhart.

The deadline to submit applications for the 2011 post is Sept. 20.

The goal of the Piedmont Laureate program is to raise awareness and appreciation for literary arts in the region, and to inspire residents to celebrate the art of writing. Joining the Raleigh commission as co-sponsors of the program are the United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, Johnston County Arts Council, Alamance County Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, and the Orange County Arts Commission.

Laureates are selected from a pool of applicants by a committee appointed by the sponsoring agencies, receive a $6,500 stipend and serve one year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.

During their reign, laureates are expected to present readings and conduct workshops that encourage creative writing, and to champion literature in other arenas, including less traditional settings.

The laureate also must oversee the creation of an original activity to boost appreciation of literature.

"I've been really proud of this program," said June Guralnick, executive director of the Raleigh Arts Commission. "It's a model partnership between our regional local arts agencies to support the authors in our area."

In addition, Guralnick said, the program increases exposure and access to writers and literature in communities, while giving writers of genres often shut out of laureate programs a chance to showcase their work.

"We have some of the most amazing writers in our area that are not just recognized in the state, but also nationally and internationally," Guralnick said.

"What we're trying to do is draw a large lens around all the different types of artists that live in our area, and this has been a great way to support those efforts."

Guralnick added: "Read local! Start thinking about our local authors; take a look and enjoy their work."

Lockhart is past the mid-point of her laureate reign, and is promoting her third book, "Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle."

She will make stops at Quail Ridge Books and Music on Wade Avenue at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 and at the Cameron Village Library in early December.

Lockhart's newest novel is a sequel to her first, "Fifth Born," a 2002 Barnes & Noble Discovery selection and finalist for debut fiction from the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Foundation.

Her second novel, "Cold Running Creek," was published in 2007 and chosen as the Text in Community read for all incoming students at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

Lockhart recommends the program to other writers, particularly those who have a passion for working in the community.

"The program is really smart," said Lockhart, 45, of Durham. "One of the beautiful things about the laureate program is it can merge ... with the things artists are already doing."

Another important aspect of serving as Piedmont Laureate, Lockhart said, is exposure of artists and the benefits to audiences in up-close, more personal settings so literature does not seem so far from the "geography of their life."

For information on how to apply to be the 2011 Piedmont Laureate, writers can call the city of Raleigh Arts Commission at 919-996-3610.

For more information about the program, or current Laureate novelist Zelda Lockhart, go to piedmonthlaureate.com or zeldalockhart.com.