Vijaya Sundaram will take over as Medford’s next Poet Laureate at a ceremony on Tuesday, August 8 at 4pm at City Hall

The City and the Medford Arts Council are holding a Poet Laureate installation ceremony for Vijaya Sundaram on Tuesday, August 8 at 4 pm at City Hall, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced.

The program will include a reading from Sundaram and a special farewell poem from Medford’s Inaugural Poet Laureate, Terry E. Carter, and Rikita Bk, Medford High School’s first place winner of the MPS Poetry Contest, will also give a reading.

“Vijaya is an incredibly talented multilingual poet with a passion for promoting inclusion and expanding people’s love of literature,” said Mayor Lungo-Koehn. “I invite everyone in the community to join us on August 8 to celebrate Vijaya’s installation and thank Terry for his hard work over the past two years.”

Sundaram’s term began on July 1, 2023 and runs until June 30, 2025.

About the Poet Laureate position

The City of Medford Poet Laureate, acting as the official City poet, will highlight poets, poetry, and literature, particularly working with community members who may traditionally have less access to poetry. Working with the City Administration and the Medford Arts Council, the Poet Laureate will strive to increase access to senior citizens, youth, and non-English speakers across various platforms. The Medford Poet Laureate will serve a two-year term and will receive a $2,000 stipend each year.