Home / Meetings /June 8, 2026

Cultural Council · June 8, 2026

Poet Laureate Support Committee Meeting

occurred Agenda PDF Minutes AI Summary

Key decisions

Matthew Cockreham volunteered to take notes for the committee

Next Poet Laureate Support Committee meeting scheduled for September 14, 2026

Bryan Riley will contact Bonnie Brady (subcommittee that manages the Cultural Center space) and copy Amesbury Cultural Center co-chairs regarding future meetings at the Cultural Center

PLSC received authorization to use funds to cover StoryWalk expenses

Planned fundraiser events approved: Karaoke fundraiser on July 15 (at BareWolf) and a Flatbread event in October to raise funds for the Poet Laureate program

Karaoke fundraiser logistics confirmed: July 15 at BareWolf, DJ secured, 50/50 raffle planned, flyers placed at Vermette's and Stop & Shop (Amesbury and Andover), event starts at 7:00 PM and no PLSC setup required

Evening with the Poets scheduled for August 12 at the Cultural Center in a town‑hall format; event will be televised and Bryan Riley contacted Amesbury Community Television

Open mic series planned for September–November (dates and featured readers to be determined)

Information for all Poet Laureate events will be posted on the Amesbury Cultural Council website; Bryan Riley will meet with Bailey Campbell to correct some dates/times

Bailey Campbell will pursue an interview series and will contact Bryan Riley to make arrangements

Fundraising/communications strategies discussed and agreed in principle: appeal to existing Poet Laureate email subscribers for financial support, ask Whittier Home subscribers to join the Poet Laureate list, and consider using Google Groups for email distribution

Facebook and mailing‑list administration: Lisa Usani Philips confirmed as Facebook administrator and will ensure Bryan Riley has administrator access; committee discussed granting administrator access to Bailey and Rachel for the Facebook page and the Poet Laureate email subscriber list

Bryan Riley will participate in the Tapestry of Voices event if able

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AI SUMMARY · DRAWN FROM THE MINUTES

The Poet Laureate Support Committee met via Zoom on June 8, 2026. Attendance included Clare Dombrowski, Anne Ferguson, Lisa Usani Phillips, Bryan Riley, and Matthew Cockreham; Matthew volunteered to take notes and the minutes of the previous meeting were approved. The committee set its next meeting for September 14 and discussed using the Cultural Center for future meetings; Bryan Riley will contact Bonnie Brady (who helps manage the space) and copy the Cultural Center co-chairs.

The group reviewed current finances and event planning for the Poet Laureate program. The committee received authorization to cover StoryWalk expenses and confirmed two fundraisers: a Karaoke fundraiser on July 15 at BareWolf (DJ, 50/50 raffle, flyers placed locally) and a Flatbread event in October. Program events were scheduled or planned: Evening with the Poets on August 12 at the Cultural Center (town‑hall format and to be televised), and an open-mic series planned for September–November with dates/readers to be determined. Communications and administration items included posting event information on the Amesbury Cultural Council website (with Bryan meeting Bailey Campbell to correct dates), an interview series Bailey will pursue, and adjustments to mailing‑list and Facebook administration (Lisa to ensure Bryan’s admin access and the committee discussed granting admin access to Bailey and Rachel, plus using Google Groups and targeted subscriber appeals for fundraising). No public comment or unexpected matters were raised.

Generated by an LLM. Verify against the official record before quoting.