KaNikki Jakarta Explains How She Became a First Black Poet Laureatte
Many may be unfamiliar with the concept of a poet laureate and what it entails. What is a poet laureate? How do you become a poet laureate? How long is the term? Who can become a poet laureate?
Let’s explore these questions and get some answers, shall we?
What does a poet laureate do?
A poet laureate is essentially a mayor for poetry. As a poet laureate, you represent your city, county, state, or country at poetry and political events, where you’ll perform original poems specifically crafted for each event. Each poet laureate term varies, but the talented poet we’re talking with on Poet Life Podcast is serving for three years.
KaNikki Jakarta is serving as the Alexandria, Virginia, Poet Laureate (2019-2021) — and she’s making history as Alexandria’s first Black poet laureate. She explains that she “didn’t even think about being the first Black poet laureate until three or four months into her term.”
As she settled into her term, she thought “Now that I have it, now what?” That’s when it hit her that she had created a history moment and was more than just a poet laureate.
So far, she says her term is going great, even with the COVID-19 curveball thrown at her as she entered her second year as poet laureate. She has been lucky enough to alter her platforms into virtual spaces and keep her year moving.
How to become a poet laureate — according to KaNikki Jakarta
First, if your city or state doesn’t have a poet laureate, petition to start the position in your area. If your city or state does have one, do your homework. Learn how long their terms are, some can be lifetime terms and some could be two, three, ten years. Research the criteria, and take note of what you need to do to succeed.
KaNikki’s first step you should take? Set your poetry up in the city you live in. Create the buzz around your name or organization. “It’s about you finding out what’s going on in your city and putting yourself in those positions so when they see you again, they remember you.”
KaNikki’s three-time poet laureate application experience:
“For my city, we submit 10 poems anonymously. The board reads the poems, and the ones they like best get called in for an interview. Then, you write a statement about why you should be the poet laureate and what you can do for your city. Next, they bring you in to ask a bunch of questions and decide if you get to come back for a second interview. They wanted to know things like, what I’d do for the first 90 days of my term.”
“I applied three times to be the poet laureate. I had to figure out what I wanted to do for the community, who I am, and what I was going to offer to this position.”
Luckily for KaNikki, the third time she applied, she already had events planned and was going to do them either way. So she was prepared with 90 days of events to share with the board.
How KaNikki turned her gift into a poetry business
First, it’s important to note that KaNikki still does poetry for the love of it. She still does a lot of free things for the love of poetry. But the business of poetry starts with asking, “How is this going to benefit me?”
If she does a charity feature for free, she asks the organizers to introduce her to all of the event sponsors. That allows her to give them her card so they can talk later about what she can do for them.
1. Do your homework
KaNikki says, “It’s not always about the money. Sometimes it’s about the connections of it all.”
An important step she took was going back to school to earn her marketing degree to learn how to market her poetry. Marketing yourself as a poet is business to business (B2B) rather than business to consumer (B2C), which comes into play when marketing a book of poetry.
She says, “If you want to do this as a career, you have to be strategic. It’s important to analyze the playing field and what’s happening in the world right.”
She also notes it’s smart to have pieces in your portfolio that are marketable, not just personal.
“Is this [poem] what you’re going to recite to the Obama’s?” she asks. “You should be writing the poems for the places you want to go. You should be thinking outside of the open mic. Market yourself as, ‘Let me be your poet for this event.’ If open mic is home, family, community, practice, you can always go home. If you wanna do this for a career, you have to leave home.”
2. Write for the page, not just the stage
KaNikki also makes the distinction between spoken word and the serious literacy side of poetry: “Being a writer and a performer are two different things. I’m a writer first. I grew up writing. I did not grow up performing.”
There’s a difference between writing for the stage and writing for the page. And the page is what pays, because people buy your books — sometimes even in bulk for schools or workshops.
“Rule 101 of marketing,” according to KaNikki, “It is easier to promote to the same person if they already know me. When I release a book, I have 200 or so people who will pre-order because they know who I am.”
She continues, “If you’re a self-published author, you don’t just sell to them, you get their information. You follow up with them, so when you’re ready to release another project, they already know who you are.”
Social media has made it easier for self-published authors to market their books. KaNikkie says, “If you have a book that’s coming out, and you’re not promoting it 6 months ahead of time, you’re behind the curve.”
By promoting well in advance of the launch date, the excitement can build and people will pre-order your book. By the time your book is ready to launch, chances are they forgot they pre-ordered and will be re-excited by it.
3. Get yourself some supporters
You have family, friends, fans, and supporters. And some may overlap, but they should all be different people.
KaNikki says, “Know who your supporters are and what they are supporting you in. They may not buy anything, but they may post up flyers.” And that kind of support can go a long way in getting you recognition or a full audience at an event.
4. Have a plan
Do you have business cards? Do you have a website? A press kit? A plan?
Here is a list of things KaNikki recommends planning out to make your poetry business successful:
● Flier: Details who you are and what you do
● Press kit: More details on contact info, bio, publication details, etc.
○ Check out Writer’s Digest for a jumping off point
● Business card: Only hand out when you’re going to be doing business together
● Reference letters: From people who have worked with you as a poet before, similar to reference letters for a job application
● Contract: Start getting money up front for a show; if the show gets cancelled, plan for what happens then financially.
● Plan for anything and everything: Don’t quit your day job first, plan enough money for bills for a year or as long as necessary. Then, ask yourself these questions to make sure you’re prepared for anything
○ Where are you going?
○ Can you sell merch at a table at your events?
○ How are you going to pay your bills if this doesn’t work out?
○ Where are you going to eat and sleep while you’re on a tour?
○ What are you trying to do for your poetry? What’s your goal?
○ Can you build something at home first? Become a host? Contact your local library and start something.
As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
KaNikki’s final thoughts
Take it from the first Black poet laureate in Alexandria, “Keep going. Don’t stop. That’s how you make it for decades and decades. Let poetry work for you.”
How are you going to apply these lessons from KaNikki and take the next step in your poetry career? If you don’t know just yet, be sure to listen to the full Poet Life Podcast episode to hear even more examples and explanations from KaNikki on how she did it.
We’ll leave you with this final nugget from KaNikki:
“You have to participate in your own blessings. What are you going to do to make this happen?”
With over 25 years of writing and over a decade on the poetry scene, Alexandria Poet Laureate KaNikki J. writes and recites what she calls “real life fiction” that touches her listeners to the core. She has published two fictional novels, and is a success at wearing many hats: poet, host, and ASL Interpreter. She is the founder of NUSPA (National Underground Spoken word Poetry Awards.) If you think that something she says on the mic might change your life, you’re probably right. Discover more about KaNikki at kanikkij.com
