Big surprise.
Gov. Pat McCrory announced Friday that he's chosen a new poet laureate for the state of North Carolina to serve as "ambassador of North Carolina literature" for the next two years.
Both are chapbooks published by Old Mountain Press of Sylva, a company that advertises it's been "assisting authors (to) self-publish their books since 1992."
Macon has won awards from the N.C. Poetry Society, the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poets Series and the Writers Guild, Inc.
The surprise?
Only that McCrory completely by-passed the time-honored process of selecting this prestigious position, which includes a state-wide call for recommendations to the North Carolina Arts Council. The nominated poets then have sent a portfolio that included poems, a vision for the position, awards, publications and honors. In recent years, a committee of poets appointed by the Arts Council, has studied the portfolios, voted on the nominations and sent its recommendation or recommendations to the governor.
Traditionally, only then did the governor officially appoint the new poet laureate.
Macon will succeed Joseph Bathanti, who has served as poet laureate for the past two years.
I'll have more as the story unfolds.
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22 comments:
Why are we not surprised by King Pat's latest edict?
Here's what might be the only real question... How much did she contribute to Pat's campaign efforts?
well darn, he probably just forgot all about it. its hard enough to do the job without catering to every whim.
besides with all these non stop thousands of whiny crybaby democrats and rev fatso who never worked a day in his life with outstretched hands for a freebie screaming and cursing him out creating a disruption, its getting more and more difficult.
try to call or write or email him again. as long as there is no free money to dole out there should be no problem.
these whiners are worse than misbehaving kids in school who disrupt and cause a commotion like spoiled rotten brat children who whine and cry incessantly to get their way.
people need to start pulling their own load instead of mooching off the govt for everything free and taking time away from our good elected officials who do not even have the time to select those dedicated top literary genius's with grand accomplishments to be symbolic representatives for the state. what a shame.
there is only 24 hours in a day still ... keep writing him ...
hey yo pat ... this is a free one ... give the girl her due NOW !! forget the whiners for a few minutes ..
aunt bee, clara and the whole town of mayberry are waiting patiently ... so just do it !!!!
Frankly, he has on his stupid hat.
Pat thinks he knows every f*cking thing. He invented the STUPID HAT, and has his glued to his head with super glue. I can't wait to see him LOSE.
WHO CARES???
I find it amazing nearly daily when the Governor and his cronies complain mightily about BIG government and the Democrats and how he and the legislators are abusing their authority and trying to control everything. Such hipocrites!!
...he probably just forgot all about it. its hard enough to do the job without catering to every whim.
Selecting a poet laureate via the established process is part of the job. If he can't make time to do it or give an ounce of consideration to the process, he shouldn't be governor. Besides, the Arts Council does the lion's share of the work in receiving and whittling down the names; then they give a short list of nominees to the governor. Are you seriously suggesting McCrory didn't have time for that?
nonstop thousands of whiny crybaby democrats ... these whiners are worse than misbehaving kids in school who disrupt and cause a commotion like spoiled rotten brat children who whine and cry incessantly to get their way.
Your caricature of liberals speaks volumes for your prejudice. When public officials railroad the system, or don't do their job well, or marginalize and ignore large numbers of people, those people have the right to complain and protest. It's called the freedom to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances, in case you're unfamiliar with the U.S. Constitution.
...dedicated top literary genius's with grand accomplishments to be symbolic representatives for the state.
It's plain that you don't have the least idea what the laureateship is about, much less any respect for the literary community. Why are you even commenting on this story? Just because you have an ax to grind with liberals, and it's easy pickings to lump in writers and mock them?
aunt bee, clara and the whole town of mayberry are waiting patiently
So you're living in a fictional town of the 1950s? You are aware, aren't you, that Mayberry doesn't really exist and that no North Carolina town of that era really looked like it? The Andy Griffith Show was filmed entirely in California, and no black people ever appeared on the eight years the show aired. That final nod to a nostalgic Never-Never Land is really the icing on the "ignorant local yokel" cake you've been baking. I almost can't believe that someone's really this bass-ackwards ... but then, I'm from Georgia, so I've seen it before.
Why would anyone care about another white official state poet when 50% of the high school students cannot read at grade level, and the other 25% doesn't speak English as a first language?
It's time to cater to all races, and appoint a Hispanic poet laureate. LA RAZA!!
50% + 25% is only 75%. I guess that illustrates lack of proficiency in math, as well..
At least he didn't appoint someone from a STEM field, you know, because we don't need any liberal arts majors anymore or, I suppose, any artists.
So glad I got out of NC. Backwards is not my favorite direction.
Is this a tradition that only goes back 17 years ... when Hunt tapped Fred Chappell?
Joshua Lavender: Think parody.
McCrory is the most ignorant Governor NC has ever elected. He is ignorant of a basic understanding of public education in NC, ignorant and he has no basic understanding of what fracking will do to to the physical, internal body of North Carolina. We cannot be shocked now to learn that he is ignorant of what is poetry... what is a poet... and which poet in our state has the qualities of a poet laureate? --Nancy Simpson
Valerie's poems are as good as any of these other chicken-coop and granny's iced tea blubberers I've seen complain. Also, who is cheaping the Laureate post more? McCorny or the greedy "I wanted it!" literati?
^^^ Hey, Anonymous, please link to info on one single literatus/a who has complained that he/she was more deserving. Just one. Go on. We'll wait.
Them 'Long Standing' traditions date back to 2004 and have been used 3 times. Shame on folk who bend the truth to suit there needs and whatnot. Lisbeth's guide lines are also nonbinding. Check the fax!
This governor has no respect for anything. Note the amount of respect the lege has for him; it's all he deserves. Absolutely none. He is a good-old-boy chucklehead who is out of his depths.
How DID the gov select this poet? I hear a lot about what he did not do, which is bad enough -- I am very curious to learn what his process was and how he came up with this selection. How did he hear of her? Who put her name in? Who advised him? What were the selection criteria? Someone in the poetry community really ought to push his press officers for such information. It could be a request for public records and the gov would have to produce it.
He delved into a bag of slightly published NC poets and picked the one who had a fresh voice and a concern for something other than her publishing credits. Apparently she's about the only NC poet who isn't a total jerk. Maybe he also picked one who wasn't clammoring for the money, too.
My take on the Valerie Macon appointment. I'm not sure why anyone is surprised that a Republican governor selected a fellow Republican outside academia to be poet laureate.
http://collinkelley.blogspot.com/2014/07/notes-on-scandal-north-carolina-poet.html
Did the Arts Council contact the governors office and let him know about the Process? If the Arts Council did not do this they need to fess up and admit that they are a big part of the problem with this appointment. With everything that has been posted I have not read anything from the Art's Council or heard on any media news station that they met with the Governor or a representative to inform them of the process of the vetting of a new Poet Laureate. I do not support Governor McCory but I think more investigation needs to be done pertaining to the actions of the Art's Council before Valerie Macon is held in contempt and a fair shake needs to be given to McCorys office. IT is time for Art Council to step up to the plate and let the public know what they did in informing the Governors office of tier , not required process.
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