The Ripon City Council took a step forward last week with the City Poet Laureate grant program.

Elected leaders gave staff the go-ahead to put together a selection committee along with an agreement with the Library and Literacy Foundation of San Joaquin County at the Sept. 12 monthly session.

Vice Mayor Leo Zuber said that the composition of this broaden group should include people from the schools – not just Ripon Unified but Ripon Christian, as well, he noted – since they’ll be responsible for the selection of a poet laureate.

City Administrator Kevin Werner and Mayor Michael Restuccia recently met with Moses Zapien from the Foundation, which offered Ripon along with all of the cities within SJC the opportunity of a $15,000 three-year grant in order to pursue a City Poet Laureate program.

The cities of Manteca, Lodi and Tracy are among those aboard.

Werner, in his staff reported, said: “Many cities throughout the state and nation have established City Laureates to inspire and remind local communities about the power and beauty of poetry and the importance of literacy in our communities and schools.”

In 2020, the Board of Directors of the Library and Literacy Foundation pre-approved funding to all cities in SJC for the purpose of establishing city poet laureate programs.

As for the grant, Restuccia asked what would happen at the end of the three years.

“If the program is successful and the city wishes to continue, the Foundation would look favorably at the idea of providing a second grant,” Zapien said.

He also indicated that the funding will be flexible and could be used as Council sees fit to administer to the program.