Published poet and lifelong Gloucester resident Ruthanne "Rufus" Collinson is the leading contender to succeed John Ronan as the city's next poet laureate.
It's a position Collinson has been in before. And though it appears her appointment to the honorary post this summer is all but assured, she knows all too well there are no guarantees.
Collinson was the Committee for the Arts' finalist to succeed the late Vincent Ferrini as the city's second poet laureate in 2008.
However, city counselors never voted on Collinson's nomination as then Councilor John "Gus" Foote instead nominated John Ronan for the post, which carried a two-year term.
The council voted, 7-2, to appoint Ronan, who went on to earn widespread praise for his work as laureate over the last two years. However, the process was criticized as "botched" at the time by councilors and members of the Committee for the Arts, who also said the council confirmation was "not as transparent" as it should've been.
Following Ronan's controversial appointment, Councilor Bruce Tobey worked with the Committee for the Arts to craft a new selection procedure, and the council approved it last December. According to the ordinance, applicants must be at least 21 years old, a resident of Gloucester for at least four years prior to applying, and will be appointed to a four-year term.
It was that procedure the Committee for the Art's Poet Laureate Selection Panel followed this summer, and Tobey said Collinson drew unanimous support.
"It was easily, happily unanimous," Tobey said Monday. "We had a clear process in place, it worked real well this time.
"Everyone was feeling good that there was such a good foundation for the next laureate given the good work John (Ronan) had done," Tobey added.
The panel — comprised of Eric Schoonover, James Cook, Dale Brown, and Tobey — considered four applications and unanimously recommended Collinson.
Peter Todd, Bonnie Barish, and Tige Lewis Quintina also applied for the laureate's post, said Brown, who represented the Committee for the Arts on its Poet Laureate Selection Panel.
The panel evaluated the applications based on two primary criteria — skill and accomplishments as a poet and ability to promote awareness of and appreciation for poetry through community engagement.
According to Committee for the Arts Chairwoman Judith Hoglander, the committee is looking forward to seeing its finalist appointed and putting "all of the past problems behind us."
She said the committee forwarded the panel's recommendation to the mayor's office, who then forwarded the name to the City Council.
The council's Ordinances and Administration Subcommittee will review the choice and send it back for a final vote by the City Council "shortly," Tobey said.
"Vincent Ferrini did it his own way, John Ronan did a marvelous job and Rufus will bring a new interpretation to (the position) and the city benefits at the end of the day from those different approaches," Hoglander said. "I think she'll be wonderful."
Attempts to reach Collinson Monday were unsuccessful.
Tobey said he supported Collinson because she was emphatic about continuing the foundation set by Ronan regarding bringing poetry to the community.
He also cited the quality of her submitted works, one of which described the movement of water over pebbles and stones at a beach in Gloucester and brought Tobey back to his childhood.
"She used words with such craftsmanship and precision to create sensations for me that were really wonderful," Tobey said. "I saw it and felt it."
Collinson grew up in a Concord Street neighborhood where she was the only girl, and once worked as a reporter for the Gloucester Daily Times, started writing plays as an 8-year-old and penned her first poem at the age of 9. She now lives downtown near the Fort.
Last January, Collinson published a collection of poetry titled "Traveling to You" — and the book sold out by mid-March.
Her publisher, Ray Bentley of Folly Cove Books, said he was not surprised by the book's success.
"Collinson's poetry is easily accessible, witty, and deeply moving with a distinctly Cape Ann flavor," Bentley said.
Ronan's term as poet laureate ended June 10. Though asked, he decided not to continue.
"The job, if done well, can be consuming," Ronan stated in a "My View" column in the Times earlier this month. "And I feel in the last two years I have laid a groundwork — in poetry presentations, contests, scholarships, school visits, web presence and publication — for others to build on."
The last time she was nominated for the post, Collinson said she would work to organize a committee to compile and then publish a collection of Gloucester poetry. She also pledged to work with the schools, senior center, and conduct regular readings at the library.
Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at 978-283-7000 x 3451 or jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
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