Okay, well, good afternoon, everybody.

Um good to see you all.

It's been a little bit since we've had an opportunity to connect, but this will be my first session as our officially, I guess, is our chair.

Is that right?

Okay.

Um, so I appreciate you guys being gracious and your time today.

I know it's been a little bit since we've had an opportunity to meet and connect with summer schedules as well as um having enough members uh available, but here we are.

So I'm really excited.

We have a couple of updates.

I've been having some conversations, had an opportunity to check in with Pesha and see how she's doing.

Got a couple of updates from her.

And thank you, Ann, because I know you you've talked to Pesha all the time.

So um I really appreciate your support of her as well.

And uh, she let me know, let me know that when we connected on Friday.

So I just wanted to say that out loud to and and Dan, I don't know that we've had an opportunity to meet meet um, but seeing your name um a couple of times, and um glad to have you on board as well.

So thanks for joining us.

Okay, so let me Christine.

Did you want to pull up the I can pull up the agenda?

Here I'm gonna pull it up on my phone here, just to be sure that I'm tracking with what we needed to talk through.

Okay.

So did we do we officially need to call the meeting to order?

Do we do that?

Okay.

All right, give me the talk track there.

You just need to call the meeting to order and then um ask me to call the roll.

Okay, so officially called the meeting to order today, Monday, September 8th at 405 p.m.

And do I need a second on that?

Or no, I can just go ahead and call the roll.

Um Nikki Smith here.

Ann Hilbert here.

Dan Gunther.

Here.

Pam Garvey.

Yeah.

You have a quorum, you may proceed.

Awesome.

Then we need to approve the minutes from our last session.

Um meeting minutes from April 7th, April 21st, and May 12th.

Okay.

Did everyone have an opportunity to review those that Christine mailed out, um emailed out?

Okay, it's all those look good.

Yes.

Okay.

So we just want to ask for a motion.

So minutes.

Call for the vote.

I I move we approve the minutes from those past meetings.

Second.

And the motion has been moved and seconded.

So say all um all in favor.

In favor, say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

All right.

Moved and properly seconded.

And the eyes have it.

Okay.

We're good there.

Yep.

Awesome.

Okay.

I'm gonna open it up for discussion.

Now, so we have um filling our vacant seats.

I have had a couple of conversations.

Well, actually just one conversation.

Anyone familiar with Aaron Quick?

St.

Louis Poetry Center.

Awesome.

So um MK uh suggested uh recommended we speak with Aaron.

So I actually just met with Aaron this morning.

Um had an opportunity to meet with her and talk through an opportunity to to join us on the task force.

And you know, she's is the executive director, and so a lot on her plate.

Um uh and staff of one on the uh for the St.

Louis Poetry Center, but um already doing quite a bit to support Pacia and having conversations already around funding, as well as um bringing Pacia in as a uh teaching artist and doing um some work around the literary magazine.

Louis Poetry Center but um already doing quite a bit to support Patia and and having conversations already around funding as well as um bringing patient in as a uh teaching artist and doing um some work around the literary magazine um and and some see some notes here um literary magazine at the end of school year and starting a youth monthly reading with the poetry center and so um very already very engaged with patient but also um just has an interest in how we can uh help reach our North Star goal of what this could look like moving forward as as this poet laureate position and kind of bridging the gap and you're kind of helping create some real impact with this role and in the community but uh Aaron also mentioned another young person Brandon Michael Lewis anyone familiar with Brandon as a uh as a potential member as well so my conversation went really well with Aaron Erin does want to talk to her board and they have a board meeting next Monday September 15th and after that conversation she just wants to run it past and and see if that's okay um but first I I also let her know that I wanted to talk with you all to see what your thoughts were there um and then her and I are going to reconvene next week and kind of share share thoughts so give me your takes on that I think she'd be a great addition um I mean I've known her over 20 years and I mean think she's been a great addition to the St.

Louis Poetry Center um once she took that position on and she's very active in the community and you know it has done a lot to promote that organization and individual poets in St.

Louis so I think she I think she's she's got a finger on the pulse of the St.

Louis community and and the St.

Louis arts and poetry community and she um you know is is already committed to poetry in the community.

Oh and any thoughts yeah I agree with everything that Pam said um Erin has been um a very vital part of the community for a while um my only concern would be um the time commitment um I know she's very busy and can get wrapped up in the work of the poetry center.

Yeah yeah and she asked about the time commitment as well um I let her know about our meeting cadence um and how most of the bulk of uh selecting the poet laureate and going through that process has already been completed but kind of you know how do we how do we continue the mission of what it means to support not only Pasha but this role um is a little ambiguous in terms of what that might mean from a timing standpoint but um we don't see it being too heavy of a lift but you know obviously I can't make any promises there and so that's definitely a watch out for sure.

Dan any thoughts or concerns from you?

No I'm not familiar so okay okay okay all right so I'll let you I'll um I'll reconvene with Aaron and see what her board says they might have some additional concerns like you said Anna around timing and her capacity um and then um we'll we'll touch base sometime next week and I'll bring it back to you guys as well as I'll I'll try to find contact information for this other person that she mentioned um Brandon Michael Lewis she said that they were a young person who uh may be interested as well so I'll try to find some contact information and see if I can meet with him other than that I didn't have any additional suggestions for task force members Pam I feel like you sent me someone and I think it kind of got lost in a chain of email threads do you recall who that person was yeah it was India Galladay yeah she's been active she's a former student of mine and she's been active in the poetry community for a while she worked on River Sticks for a while um she um curated the Hungry Young Poets right a series like uh I'm trying to think what years like in the 2010s sometime okay um yeah and she's just she's done a lot of readings and she's just she's you know just involved as well and um and she teaches with us part-time right now and I think she thinks she's bringing like you know a good fresh perspective but she's already like involved with the community you know what I mean so it's like she's not um she's not new to the world you know of poetry so she has all that background and and and a lot of people but you know she's um but she's somebody who hasn't served a lot in like a capacity like this you know um and so she might just bring a fresh perspective and um you know I know she

And I think she thinks she's bringing like you know, a good fresh perspective, but she's already like involved with the community, you know what I mean?

So it's like she's not um she's not new to the world, you know, of poetry.

So she has all that background and and and a lot of people, but you know, she's um, but she's somebody who hasn't served a lot in like a capacity like this, you know.

Um and so she might just bring a fresh perspective and um, you know, I know she you know, she's just smart and engaged and do you have contact information?

Did you already send that over?

I might not have, but I'm happy to send it to you though.

Okay.

If you do, if you could send that over, I'll make sure I schedule some time and meet with her.

Great.

Okay, awesome.

If it's helpful, I would just I I think the definitions are um not, I think they're flexible, but the people that were missing pursuant to the ordinance is a representative from the business community.

Um Nikki, that was your position before you took over as chair, and then um the other one is definitely flexible.

It's just somebody who has an interest in poetry.

Yeah, India actually works full-time in the corporate world.

So yeah, all right.

Awesome.

So yeah, I'll definitely make sure I connect with India as well.

Awesome.

Okay.

All righty.

Um the next item on our agenda was an update on St.

Louis County has an interest in a poet laureate position.

So Leah Laflora has been meeting with uh Lisa Clancy, who's a councilwoman in St.

Louis County.

I think they met maybe two weeks ago.

Um, and she reached out and kind of just let me know that the meeting went well.

Uh, and had asked if we have any guidelines on how they could go ahead and get started.

They would want uh their their ordinances to align with what we have for St.

Louis Cities.

And so Christine, I know that that's where I would be a little green.

Um would definitely want to make sure that you and I connected on how that would look, how we could support that and to and what's the boundary there in terms of where we support and then kind of where they might need to pick that up.

So any additional thoughts you had on that communication thread.

No, I'm excited that the county is interested.

I know it was something that MK you know thought there was some value in.

Um, and at some point maybe in the future, like we have a discussion whether or not it makes sense to have a regional poet laureate, or if we like the idea of having um two separate for the the county and the city, um that would obviously be at the task force discretion, but I'm happy to make myself available to meet with councilwoman Clancy and and whoever else to kind of let them know the background, how we came to where we are, sort of the challenges we're experiencing within the restrictions of our ordinance that they may be able to learn from in best practice.

So just keep me posted.

Okay, awesome, awesome.

That might actually be a little bit more productive than maybe you and I meeting separately and then having to then translate that information back to them and maybe fast if maybe the four of us just got together on one call.

So I'll um I'll try to coordinate that then.

Awesome.

Okay, I may I ask a question about that.

It you know, given the because this um currently the St.

Louis City Poet Laureate, you know, is not paid, it's not a paid, there's no money involved.

Um, and I've given the funding landscape right now.

I just wonder if it might be a good idea off right off the bat to consider like one poet laureate for both St.

Louis City and County and kind of be the leader in that kind of effort in in terms of regionalism.

Um so I don't know, that's just my two cents.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, that makes sense.

Um and I think this this is uh I guess this kind of came as a as a passion project for for Leia.

So um trying to maybe, and her and I haven't spoken and and this is we're just hopping in on email threads here, and so it may benefit us to kind of just understand a little bit more historically, what the vision is um and where we're trying to go from this, and and and then maybe from the conversation in terms of what we might learn from Christine and others.

There, there may be some convergence of it.

We may come, we may decide that it just makes more sense to have that regional representation um given the given some of the challenges that we're already having with with the city poet laureate.

So I think there's just more conversation that needs to be had.

Um right now, it's just a couple of emails that's just been exchanged.

But yeah, I I understand.

I hear you, Anna.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um, okay.

Calendar of events for the poet laureate.

Next um item on our agenda.

So this was one I I wanted to be sure that we addressed too because I know that there uh was maybe a little bit of a concern of how things are being communicated from what patient is involved in and the events that she's either reading at or um facilitating, and then how that's being communicated back to the board or the task force.

And so I'm not sure if there's if there's an explicit expectation there, Christine, that we can communicate to Pacia on how that how we should be going about, you know.

Hey, here's the calendar of events that she has for the next month, and making sure that that's communicated to the task force, or should she just communicate it back to me and just making sure that the expectation is very clear for her moving forward.

Yeah, that's a great question.

I do think to the extent possible if she at the very least shares it with you so that you can communicate to the task force, and then I would know because I think there would be an interest in cross-promoting.

Um, so if our office or the mayor's office can be helpful from our accounts, social media accounts are um or emails that go out for their if there's an opportunity for the general public or you know, members of city government to participate.

Um, I think that would be helpful.

I don't think she needs to like have permission from us to do certain things.

I just think in open lines of communication in terms of um what she's going on so that we also can track as a task force.

There are some metrics that she's required um to check off underneath the ordinance.

So just making sure that she's checking those things off the list.

And those metrics being like the four literary programs and the four educational, okay.

Yeah, I haven't looked at the ordinance in a minute, so I don't have it fresh in my mind, but generally speaking, yes.

Okay, great.

And are there any other um maybe more nuanced expectations that I can communicate to her other than communicating those events that you could think of, Christine?

I I do think it would be helpful for her to be at task force meetings if she's available.

Okay.

Yeah, I know she did communicate to me that she couldn't make this one because she was uh traveling today or in transit today.

Um, but uh, but I'll make sure that she is aware of that.

Okay.

All righty.

Anything else on that?

So she did let me know of a couple of readings, I believe.

And Ann, I know you talk to her all the time.

Um, so correct me if I'm wrong.

No, she's doing two readings at the music at the intersection.

And what I'll have her do is shoot me an email.

So I have to just have it typed up and um make sure I have the dates and actual readings and events correct.

Um, but I do know that she's gonna be doing a couple of readings at the music at the intersection, and then she has a workshop coming up at LifeWise at the end of September as well.

So I'll make sure I have uh send you all an email of those.

And are you aware of anything else that she might have going on through your conversations with their okay?

I'm not okay.

Awesome.

The next thing, um, and she she brought this up in our conversation as well.

So I'm glad you have it on on here, Christine, is the email address for her.

So she has her rack email and then she has her personal one.

And so she's getting communications in a couple of different places.

And so she thought it would be good if she did have one for the city of St.

Louis.

Yeah, if it's okay with you, I will copy you on an email with her.

The city has a new policy that anybody utilizing a city email address or really like has access to you know anything that has to do with the city um signs uh like a user just acknowledging that the city has a use policy.

You can use your email for certain things.

So I'll email both of you that document, make sure she's comfortable with it, and then I can get our IT department to assign her an email address.

Okay, awesome.

Awesome.

Okay.

Perfect.

And then you had updates from Poet Laureate.

I'm assuming because, you know, if she was here, then she would be giving uh giving her updates.

Um then you had social media account access.

Was that a note for her or a note for you, Christine?

Um it was a note for her.

So at our last meeting, she indicated that she was working with the former poet laureate and somebody who used to work in the president's office because um they did not remember the passwords for those social media accounts, so that we were hoping we'd be able to continue utilizing.

I think it was maybe an Instagram and Facebook.

I could be incorrect on that.

There was at least one social media account.

Um, and if not sort of what we wanted to do, the idea being that this would be something that was handed down from Poet Laureate to poet laureate, so that it's always the same social media handles.

Okay.

And you're saying that the passwords, passwords.

Okay.

I think that was, I think that was a Facebook account too, if I remember correctly.

Okay.

So all right.

So I got a note for that um to get an update, if she see if she has anything there for her from her.

Um, a couple of notes that I had from my conversation, um, just to make sure that I bring her voice into the conversation into this conversation is um obviously funding support for events that she wants to do herself as the PL.

So um when she gets asked to do events, obviously those things are covered.

Um, but when she wants to host and facilitate events, um, finding funding support to host those and facilitate those can um will be a challenge.

And so figuring out the nuance there and and how to handle that, obviously it's something I mean we discussed pretty early on as a task force, and she brought up as well as we went through the selection process.

And so I'm not sure that we have a solved there, um, but just bringing it forward just let you know that it is coming up um as she's thinking about how she continues forward.

Another thing that uh was brought up is how to get plugged into more official events downtown.

Um, so with the mayor and um any other kind of more official city capacity events uh where a poet laureate, it would make sense for her to come in and do a reading, Dan kind of looking at you, how how she can get more plugged in to those.

And so I know that she was asked to do the inauguration.

I know you guys had a conversation on that.

Um, but moving forward, she's certainly wanting to make sure that she gets connected and stays connected with you and and Spencer.

So she can she can be available for those things.

Another thing that came up was uh committees that influence art and creative policy in St.

Louis to drive real impact.

And so one of the things that um her and I and the task force we can continue to work on is finding out uh what other arts and creative creative arts committees and outside of RAC, what are the other groups that we can continue to get impact?

I'm sorry, get connected with so we can drive more influence and drive relationships with.

And then um, and then she mentioned her upcoming readings at the music at the intersection.

So wanted to just make sure I plug those in.

Christine, this funding piece is going to be a piece that I feel like is gonna come up over and over again.

Um what do we do?

to get impact I'm sorry get connected with so we can drive more influence um and drive relationships with and then um and then she mentioned her upcoming readings at the music at the intersection so wanted to just make sure I plug those in Christine this funding piece is going to be a piece that I feel like is gonna come up over and over again um what do we do like how what's what what's a good process to get a ball going um to get some sort of resolution here I think it would be good we've um we've noticed the meeting to discuss certain topics um this particular meeting so I think mentioning it like a conversation in the future is important this might be a topic we put on the next agenda for the next time you meet um I will also mention that um I did report back I believe in May that I had a conversation with the city counselor's office and in terms of funding um while the city does not have any direct funding available they are able to partner via an MOU with organizations to make sure that um if there are outside entities that are interested in funding this we can do that in a way that this city you know is staying in compliance with its requirements legally and it's also a topic possibly for another meeting to have a conversation about um what updating the ordinance might look like in terms of funding okay all right sounds good okay all righty so went through got all the way through now we're at announcements um I don't have any announcements that was all the things that I had going on any announcements from the task force I don't have an announcement but I would like to say that um the Academy of American poets has annually been providing um fellowships for poet laureates of of different communities and that's up to 5000 um last year and it's funded basically by the Mellon Foundation um it looks like last year that that um that grant portal opened up in December and ran through maybe January or February I can't remember right now but I think it would behoove us to keep um our finger on that pulse because I think we could put together a great application um in concert with Pasia of course um and submit that um because it would be great to be on that list they also I didn't look at this carefully but they also list all of the poets poets laureate um from across the country in the different communities too so I think it would be good to look into that and make sure that we're listed there.

Awesome listed there and could you do me a favor and um could you just the academy could you type that in the chat real quick so I can take a note of that I know Christine's taking minutes down but I just want to make sure I take a note of it so I can thank you Ann I appreciate you any other announcements thank you anything else I think it'd be great if we all got out to music at the intersection to support the the local poets and the this past week this coming weekend at that will take place at the high low um Lya LaFleur is the one that has been putting that whole stage together and um I mean it'll cost you a little bit to get into the uh to get into to uh music at the intersection but um it could be fun yeah I definitely plan on it um definitely plan on being there for sure and we're gonna get an email with all the events that Patias involved in yeah so what I'm gonna I have a couple of notes but as I mentioned I just want to make sure that I have it right uh down correctly I know I have her um her Matty events but I want to make sure I have all the other workshops and things that she has going through September and October so I'll make sure I get that typed up into you guys as well.

Thank you.

Okay any other announcements okay well looks like we can we're good to adjourn okay to move have a motion to adjourn the meeting I move to adjourn my second has moved moved and properly seconded um have the wait I'm missing something all in favor so bad I'll post you a great many so too good job Dr.

All in favor.

So I'm so bad.

I'll pose.

You're doing great, Nick.

I think so too.

Good job, Dr.

Nick.

I'll oppose.

The ayes have it.

All right.

So we can we have been moved and properly seconded.

We can adjourn.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Bye-bye.