Mayor Sylvester Turner and Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson, director of the Houston Public Library, announced today that they are searching for Houston's next Poet Laureate. 

The role of Poet Laureate, according to HPL, "is to stimulate poetic impulse, foster appreciation of poetry in all its forms and serve Houston residents and visitors with expressions of culture through words."

The application process includes providing a statement detailing why the nominee would be a good candidate, a 10-15 page writing sample and a proposal for a community outreach program, amongst other requirements. 

Houston's current Poet Laureate is Dr. Robin Davidson. The professor of English and creative writing at the University of Houston collaborated with local poets to create an anthology of Houstonians' favorite poetry as her community outreach program.

The deadline to submit applications online is February 5. (Well—what are you waiting for?)