The person selected will act as a resource for poetry and literary activities to the Santa Clara County Library, represent the county through outreach related to poetry, and present appropriate works at various county-sponsored events.
The poet laureate will be expected to begin a project to make poetry more available and accessible to people in their everyday lives, according to county officials.
"The Board's action (Tuesday) is the first step," Acting County Executive Gary Graves said in a prepared statement. "We will work closely with the Arts Council Silicon Valley to outline a selection process and recruit potential candidates."
To be eligible for nomination, candidates must have lived in the county for five years, demonstrated a commitment to reading and writing poetry, and be willing to commit to serving a two-year term in the honorary post.
A number of counties and cities in California have established poet laureate positions, including San Francisco, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Alameda counties.
Kay Ryan, a resident of Fairfax in Marin County, was also named the nation's poet laureate in July by the Library of Congress.
