HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-12-08 Poet Laureate Committee Minutes North Andover Poet Laureate Committee - Dec 8, 2025 - Minutes
Monday December 8, 2025 7:00 PM Town Hall, 2nd floor conference room
Public access email: poetemails@northandoverma.gov
Present: PLC chair: Karen Kline, PLC members: Mark Bohrer, Graham Jackson, Dan Speers
Not Present:
PLC members:Jeanne Madden, Signe Spencer, Christa Lamb, Michael Finegold.
Other invitees: Jason O'Toole, Dave Kres (Select Board)
1. 2026 Anne Bradstreet Poetry Contest
• Agreement on proposed theme:
• "An Eye for the World -What Do You See?"
o It brings us back to noticing, observing and witnessing, which feels true to what poetry is at its core.
• Support an outward-facing theme-Tie into the idea of noticing the world.
• This keeps everything aligned. It blends outward observation with personal meaning without mixing two
different scales of reflection:
• Sub-themes:
• What challenges you about what you see?
• What in the world inspires you when you notice it?
• (can people come up with a few more things like this?)
• ACTION: Christa—create a logo/graphic for the theme
o Ideas for logo: eyes? Glasses?A face looking a globe?
• ACTION: Graham and Dan—prepare teacher's guide ideas draft
• ACTION: Mark- update rules and contest schedule for 2025
• Plan:
• Get web site ready-that way we can still announce contest in early January
• Teacher's guides and email to schools and past winners can follow after Jan 12 (next meeting)
• Awards Idea: have all winners receive a pair of sunglasses
• Postponed to next meeting:
• Town of North Andover Line item created to fund Poetry Contest& events—can we promote
this?
• Fund Name: NA Poet Laureate Committee—Anne Bradstreet Fund
2. Anne Bradstreet Gratitude event on Common
• Saturday July 11, 2026-tentatively 11AM - 2PM
• Town Common reserved for this date
• ACTION: Karen - reserve following Saturday July 18 as rain date—waiting to hear back from the town
3. Next Meeting
• January 12, 2026 at 7PM