The Piedmont Laureate program, started in 2008, is dedicated to building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing. With the key goal “to promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts throughout the Piedmont area,” two arts councils representing Johnston and Alamance counties are joining the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Durham Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission, and United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County to support this seminal literary program.

Applications for the 2010 Laureate are now being accepted only from novelists currently residing in Alamance, Durham, Johnston, Orange, and Wake counties. (The program focuses each year on a different literary form.) The novelist, to be selected by a committee appointed by the sponsoring agencies, will present public readings and workshops, participate at select public functions, and create at least one original activity to expand appreciation of literature. The 2010 Piedmont Laureate will receive a stipend of $7,000 and serve for one year (January 1-December 31, 2010).

“The Piedmont Laureate program is an important new platform enabling writers to connect directly with area residents through readings, workshops, school programs and other outreach activities,” stated author Richard Krawiec, a panelist on the 2009 Piedmont Laureate selection committee that chose poet Jaki Shelton Green to serve as the first laureate. “It’s wonderful that our local arts agencies have been able to collaborate to make this program happen and showcase the rich literary talent of the Piedmont. Within the next decade this program will prove to be one of the most important literary endeavors in the state, and is sure to become a model nationally,” Krawiec added.

Additional information on the Piedmont Laureate program, including guidelines and the application form, is available at www.piedmontlaureate.com and additionally at www.johnstoncountyarts.org. The deadline to apply is September 18, 2009.

For questions and additional information, contact Belva Parker, Raleigh Arts Commission Program Coordinator, belva.parker@ci.raleigh.nc.us (919) 996-3610, or Zilphia Adcock, Executive Director of the Johnston County Arts Council at 919-553-1930 or, info@johnstoncountyarts.org.