September 22, 2003

BY CHRISTOPHER WILLS

The state's next official poet could be a 38-year-old single mother of a son with Down syndrome.

Or a nationally known force behind the popularity of poetry slams. Or a soft-spoken minister and Champaign County Board member.

Illinois hasn't had a poet laureate since late 2000, when Gwendolyn Brooks died. But that's about to change.

Twenty-five people have been nominated for the job. A search committee is paring down the list of candidates, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to pick a new poet laureate next month.

It's a job with no pay and no real authority, but it carries a certain amount of prestige. After all, the last two were Brooks, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, and Carl Sandburg, a legend.

Word of the search prompted the nomination of poets of every kind.

Donna Biffar works in the graphics department of a community college in southern Illinois. After work she cares for her two teenage children -- including 16-year-old Mike, who has Down syndrome -- studies for her bachelor's degree, helps run a small poetry publishing house and writes her own poems.

She used to get up at 4 a.m. on weekends to find writing time. Biffar says she had to write poetry.

''I think that is life. Everybody needs it, like water. It's communication in its purest form,'' she said.

Marc Smith helped create poetry slams -- high-energy competitions among poets -- back in the 1980s. They mix poetry with standup comedy, rap and theatrics in a way that has proven extremely popular, at least in the world of poetry.

Smith doubts he'll be chosen for poet laureate but said his experience organizing slams and exciting audiences would help him use the post to promote poetry.

''Whether the people in the establishment world want to admit it or not, they're all gravitating toward performance poetry because it works,'' Smith said. ''If you're going to excite people about poetry, it's got to be out loud. That's where it came from.''

The other nominees are just as diverse. There's the federal government employee who doubles as a motivational speaker and self-published poet. There are the two men who co-edited an anthology of Illinois poetry. There's the woman who works for the state attorney general and often writes about violence and abuse.

The poets say they are thrilled -- by both their nominations and the chance to reach more people.

''I might tell them what it is to live a simple life. Simple lives have ways of being full of unexpected turns and adventures,'' said poet John Knoepfle of Auburn.

Kenneth Clarke, director of the Poetry Center of Chicago, argues that poets can't showcase their work at galleries or concert halls, as painters and musicians can. So it makes sense for the state to help out by naming a poet laureate.

''It's the state's way of advocating an art form that is probably the most accessible art form there is. You don't need a lot to be a poet -- paper and pen,'' Clarke said.

The search committee, led by first lady Patti Blagojevich, is reviewing the nominations and selecting a few poets to interview for the job. Then the committee will give the governor a couple of selections from which to choose.

To be eligible for the post, poets are supposed to have critical acclaim, a track record of getting their poems published and a history of activity in the arts community. The job is no longer a lifetime appointment. Instead, it's for a term of four years, although the incumbent can be reappointed.

Blagojevich said that could translate into more poets reaching more people.

''Poetry can inspire and encourage people and give them hope,'' she said. ''It's good for people not to be so intimidated by poetry.''

AP