Now don’t you think Somerville should have a Poet Laureate?

Lo Galluccio,2013 Cambridge Poet Populist.

We are glad to say Lo Galluccio, a Somerville Bagel Bard, and a published  poet with Somerville’s Ibbetson Street  Press (Hot Rain 2004), has been elected Cambridge Populist Poet. Lo has been in numerous issues of Ibbetson Street, was on the  planning committee for the Grolier Poetry Room Reading Series, sponsored by the Ibbetson St Press and the Blind Elephant Press, and was a reader at the Somerville News Writers Festival founded by Timothy  Gager and Doug Holder in 2003. She has also participated in many of our  readings for the last decade…so glad for you Lo!
Here is the press release from the Cambridge Arts Council:

New Poet Populist Named In Cambridge

Cambridge, MA –The City of Cambridge announces that Lo Galluccio has won election as the 2013 Poet Populist. The Cambridge Poet Populist is  selected by Cambridge residents to represent the art of poetry for the  City of Cambridge. During her two-year span, Lo will have the  opportunity to affect the artistic landscape of the Cambridge community  and help the unique creative spirit of Cambridge thrive. The official  induction ceremony for Galluccio will take place under the Poet Populist Tent at the Cambridge River Festival on Saturday, June 1, 2013 2:30pm.

Lo Galluccio is a vocal artist, memoirist and poet whose roots lie in  the Lower East Side of NYC, though she is a Cambridge native and a  Harvard graduate. Lo has released three books in Boston, since returning in 2001: “Hot Rain,” a chapbook with illustrations put out by Ibbetson  St. Press, “Sarasota VII” a prose-poem memoir published by Cervena Barva Press and “Terrible Baubles” a chapbook on Propaganda Press. Some of  the poems in “Terrible Baubles” were set to music or made into songs for a CD released on Studio 234 records this past year, with piano by Eric  Zinman and cello by Mobius artist Jane Wang. Lo has two other vocal CDs “Being Visited” on the Knitting Factory label in NYC, and “Spell on  You,” self-released in Boston, an avant jazz and blues CD. Her websites  are www.logalluccio.weebly.com and www.logalluccio.alalla.com. She was  the Arts editor of the Cambridge Alewife from 2003-2007 and continues to review poetry for the Ibbetson St. small press blog. Lo has developed a distinctive lyrical style of poetry and uses spoken and sung iterations for some of her pieces, especially the more surreal texts. As a page  poet, Lo often likes to follow a rhyming pattern, following poets like  Anne Sexton. She hopes to combine her love of music and spoken word as  the Poet Populist while reaching out to many venues in Cambridge and  including all styles of poetry, including slam.

Cambridge Arts Council is a city agency that funds, promotes, and  presents high-quality, community-based arts programs for the benefit of  artists, residents, and visitors. Established in 1974, Cambridge Arts  Council is one of the oldest and most dynamic arts agencies in the  country. As a public nonprofit, Cambridge Arts Council operates through  funding from local government, private foundations, corporate sponsors,  and individual donors.

The Cambridge Poet Populist program was developed in 2007 to celebrate  the creation and appreciation of poetry throughout the city. The Poet  Populist will be honored in an official capacity, receive a stipend, and maintain a schedule of public appearances for a two-year term.  Cambridge poet Peter Payack initiated the role in 2007, and was  succeeded by Jean-Dany Joachim in 2009 and Toni Bee in 2011.