TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE >>>

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Pinot noir or Merlot?
Cultivate your taste in vain;
It won't obscure your column strain.
Your-editor-told-you-to-pick-the-very-best-words-and-you-are-not-getting-the-Pulitzer.

This poem was taped to Bobble's Tiki's desk lava lamp this morning. Lovely.

Bobble Tiki is betting this person who wrote this will not follow in the footsteps of current Tacoma Poet Laureate Tammy Robacker.

Will you? Better hurry.

Applications for Tacoma Poet Laureate are due this coming Tuesday, February 22.

The Tacoma Arts Commission is now accepting applications for the 4^th annual Tacoma Poet Laureate program.

The individual selected as Tacoma Poet Laureate will hold the position for two years, from May 2011 to April 2013, and will receive a $2,000 stipend for providing a minimum of two free poetry related workshops each year, reciting his/her original work at various public events, participating in Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month in November and helping produce the 2013 Tacoma Poet Laureate ceremony to announce the next Poet Laureate.

Applicants must reside in Tacoma, be a practicing poet who is dedicated to producing work on a regular basis and at least 18 years of age. Other eligibility requirements apply; please see the application for full details.

The Tacoma Poet Laureate program was founded in 2008 by Urban Grace Church as a way of focusing attention on Tacoma's literary talent by organizing and hosting public readings and workshops in local schools and at community events. The program transitioned to the City of Tacoma's Arts Program in 2011.

The application deadline is Feb. 22, 2011. Information about the Tacoma Poet Laureate program and the application are available on the Tacoma Arts Commission website at http://www.tacomaculture.org/arts/PoetLaureate.asp. Requests for hard copy applications can be directed to Naomi Strom-Avila at nstrom-avila@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5191.