Public Nominations for British Poet Laureate

In a first, the British Government invites public suggestions for the position of Poet Laureate. The Department of Culture, Sport and the Media will consult academics; poetry organisations and “others in the poetry sector” from the UK and the Commonwealth, as well as the public, but pointed out that this will not be a popular vote. The Guardian Weekly comments that one problem with the appointment is finding a poet who supports the monarchy. [Poet sought: royal job, quite fraught by Mark Brown in The Guardian Weekly]