At the 2015 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., the internationally acclaimed and award-winning San Antonio poet Naomi Shihab Nye was asked about the civic responsibility of the poet. She replied that a poet should “encourage a sense of civility” and “sense of curiosity about one another’s lives.” She expressed her belief that poetry allows us to “pause, listen, respect, pay attention to variety… to learn something new.” After a breath, she finished her thought: “I’d hold that close.”
In cities across the country, poetry is increasingly a means to build rapport among diverse populations by valuing creativity, empathy, and respect. The Academy of American Poets has statistically tracked the American public’s growing appreciation for verse. As of 2014, more than a million people per year accessed the poetry archived on its poets.org site; more than thirty-five U.S. cities were known to have named poets laureate.
San Antonio was first among Texas cities to select a poet laureate, with Houston and McAllen following suit. Carmen Tafolla was appointed San Antonio’s inaugural poet laureate in 2012 for a two-year term. In 2014, Laurie Ann Guerrero was awarded the title. In March this year, Jenny Browne stepped into the position. According to a press releases by the city’s Department for Culture & Creative Development the position was “intended to generate public interest in and preserve the art of poetry, while celebrating the culture and history of San Antonio.”
The celebration of the city’s culture and history hit a high note this year in February, when the installation Love Poems to San Antonio opened to the public. Laurie Ann Guerrero selected twenty representative poems written by locals, which then were transformed into an architectural unit designed by Rigoberto Luna, available for view through March 25, 2016.
Why and how did San Antonio lead the way in navigating a civic role for Texas poets? Lone Star Literary Life was fortunate to reach Javier Flores, a senior public information officer of San Antonio’s Department for Culture & Creative Development (DCCD). He quickly contacted Sebastian Guajardo, special projects manager of the DCCD, who agreed to an interview via email.
According to Guajardo, the idea of appointing a poet laureate was floated in 2003 as part of a ten-year plan developed by The Cultural Collaborative (TCC). This organization of artists, writers, directors, administrators, civil servants, business people, and consultants agreed on a singular goal: “To support the growth and recognition of San Antonio’s creative economy.”
In 2010 a new initiative was launched: SA2020 provided a forum for thousands of citizens to envision the future of San Antonio across many sectors, from the arts to environmental sustainability to family well-being. Guajardo describes the process as “residents gathered at different tables to discuss key initiatives they believed were critical to improving our city.” Ideas were ranked in importance, and the information was then compiled.
In Guajardo’s opinion, the “strong base of artists, arts educators, and arts agencies” that formed as part of TCC reunited to steer the decision-making process for SA2020. The idea of appointing a poet laureate was revived, and discussion and planning followed. At last, on April 3, 2012, Mayor Julián Castro appointed Carmen Tafolla the first poet laureate of a Texas city.
San Antonio was first in Texas, as well, to fund the honorary position. The State of Texas, which has appointed a poet laureate since 1932, offers no stipend. On the other hand, Jenny Browne, the city’s poet laureate for 2016–18, will receive $3,500 annually, with the expectation that she will hold readings, workshops, and educational programs. Funds are used at the poet’s discretion. There is a shared sentiment, Guajardo says, among the DCCD’s staff that “artists are the backbone of our creative economy and support the vibrancy of our city.”
The success of Love Poems to San Antonio testifies that Guajardo and other arts advocates were right to trust poetry’s power to “touch many lives.” The installation of poetry combined with images on architectural panels premiered on February 4, 2016, at the Cultural Commons, Plaza de Armas. This signature initiative of San Antonio’s second poet laureate, Laurie Ann Guerrero, working with visual artist Rigoberto Luna, reflects the “unique experiences” of twenty citizens, some of them amateur poets.
According to Guajardo, the public’s response to Love Poems to San Antonio “has been amazing and surpassed all expectations.” In fact, there’s been demand to repeat the project in the future at locations throughout the city. “We have even been contacted by individuals who want to duplicate this in other cities,” Guajardo says.
When asked his opinion if other Texas cities could follow in San Antonio’s footsteps by instituting a poet laureate position and advocating for “the creative economy,” Guajardo replied: “We have received calls from other cities about our process, including Houston in 2012, and shared information. We are always willing to support the arts with anyone who inquires.” He invites those interested in advancing the arts or participating in San Antonio’s events for National Poetry Month to look for information at www.getcreativesanantonio.com.
LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE: Sebastian Guajardo, would you introduce yourself to the readers of Lone Star Literary Life? What is your background with the Department of Culture & Creative Development?
SEBASTIAN GUAJARDO: I work for the Strategic Initiatives Division of the City of San Antonio’s DCCD, which oversees the San Antonio Poet Laureate initiative, supported by several city offices and departments. In 2011, staff from Mayor Julián Castro’s office, the San Antonio Public Library, and my department met numerous times for discussion, and DCCD staff completed research on national, state and municipal poets laureate. We all have a shared commitment and vision to improve the lives of San Antonio residents through our programs. We believed — and still do — that the Poet Laureate initiative would touch many lives, enhance our literary arts community, and help to improve literacy and learning.
While reading the background information you provided, I noticed that the Poet Laureate position was an outcome of the SA2020 initiative that led to the creation of a privately funded nonprofit, to benefit the city in multiple sectors. What a tremendous success story! Congratulations. Were you involved in the “visioning” process? In particular, how was information gathered about the development of arts and literacy programs? How were people inspired to participate and follow through on the process?
The SA2020 visioning process involved thousands of citizens from all sectors of the community. City staff, which included those of us involved in the Poet Laureate Initiative, served as moderators for that process. During numerous regional community meetings, residents gathered at different tables to discuss key initiatives they believed were critical to improving our city. Individuals at each table put forth ideas, and then the group ranked them. Afterwards, these ideas were shared with all participants. Moderators gathered all information which was then compiled.
DCCD, as part of our mission, strongly promotes and advocates for the arts and local artists. This was a key strategy resulting from The Cultural Collaborative (TCC) — a ten-year plan for the creative community adopted by City Council in 2005. As a result, San Antonio has a strong base of artists, arts educators, and arts agencies, all committed to supporting and enhancing the arts. They attended meetings and advocated for Arts and Culture to be a critical component of the SA2020 Vision Plan.
Did any one person or a particular group advocate for the Poet Laureate position? Was the idea of creating the position immediately popular? How has the public responded to the city’s appointment of a poet laureate?
The idea to appoint a San Antonio Poet Laureate was originally discussed in 2003, in developing the TCC—the ten-year plan for San Antonio’s creative community. Although not implemented as part of the adopted plan, the idea remained in the people’s thoughts. We revived it after completion of the SA2020 Plan.
When Carmen Tafolla was appointed as San Antonio’s Inaugural Poet Laureate in 2012, the public and the entire community of poets, artists, educators, and activists was supportive. They are extremely pleased with the initiatives brought forth by our two Poets Laureate. This is in no small part due to the great work of Ms. Tafolla and Laurie Ann Guerrero and their wonderful poetic skills. They were both appointed State Poet Laureate during the last term of the State Legislature; Carmen for 2015–16 and Laurie Ann for 2016–17.
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