The Poet Laureate of Kansas promotes the arts as a public resource for all Kansans. Huascar Medina presents readings and discussions about poetry in communities across the state.
Huascar is a poet, writer, and performer who lives in Topeka. He currently works as a freelance copywriter and as the Literary Editor for seveneightfive magazine publishing stories that spotlight literary and artistic events in northeast Kansas.
His poems can be found in his collection How to Hang the Moon published by Spartan Press. He is the winner of ARTSConnect’s 2018 Arty Award for Literary Art. His new collection of poems Un Mango Grows in Kansas is available at huascarmedina.com.
The Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission is pleased to announce a Call for Applications for the 2023-2026 Poet Laureate of Kansas. The Poet Laureate of Kansas is an honorary position designed to promote the reading and writing of poetry throughout the state. The Poet Laureate will represent KCAIC to promote the arts as a public resource for all Kansans. The new Poet Laureate of Kansas will conduct public readings, workshops, lectures, and/or presentations that serve the many diverse communities of Kansas. Presentations will explore the laureate’s own work and the poetry of others.
Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 6th 2022
Poetry is a lens that can be both microscopic and telescopic representing the “…clear expression of mixed feelings,” as poet W.H. Auden suggests. Poetry creates space where we can discover ourselves, find our place, and revel in beauty and truth. But through poetry we can also find connection with one another. Poet Mahmoud Darwish said it like this: “Poetry and beauty are always making peace. When you read something beautiful you find coexistence; it breaks walls down.” This presentation will use poetry to help us find our voices, share our words, and discover what truly connects us. May our voices ring true and may our truth have the grace of beauty.
