Aurora names the city's first poet laureate. How often does that happen in the suburbs?
Karen Fullett-Christensen has long used poetry to talk about the world as she experiences it.
Now, the 68-year-old Aurora resident will help tell the story of the city she calls home.
Fullett-Christensen has been named Aurora's first poet laureate.
In that role, she will "celebrate the heritage, uniqueness, diversity and achievements" of the state's second largest city, officials say.
"When you look at Karen's history and impact on our community, it is evident she has already been doing the work of a poet laureate for many years," Mayor Richard Irvin said in announcing Fullett-Christensen's appointment.
It's rare for Chicago suburbs to have poets laureate, who work to bring poetry into the community. The city of Elgin didn't get its first poet laureate until last December, when Chasity Gunn, a journalist-turned-poet, was named to the position.
Fullett-Christensen said she was "very surprised and happy" when Aurora announced in October it was accepting applications for a poet laureate position.
"I thought it showed a lot of support for the arts," she said.
Irvin said in October that Aurora wanted a poet laureate to "help tell our story in a poetic and empowering way." This week, he described Fullett-Christensen as "a visionary and a voice of Aurora."
A retired city employee, Fullett-Christensen has written several collections of poetry and creative nonfiction, and she is working on her 17th manuscript, officials said. She also co-founded A-Town Poetics, an Aurora-based group for poets and writers.
Fullett-Christensen, who grew up in Chicago, has been writing poetry since she was 14 years old.
"I love the ability to connect with other people," she said. "My favorite thing in the world is reading my poetry out loud and watching people's faces, because I know when it's resonating."
After spending the last 20 years living in Aurora, Fullett-Christensen says she's looking forward to writing poems in support of the city.
"This is my passion," she said.
Fullett-Christensen will serve as Aurora's poet laureate until the end of Irvin's first term in April 2021. As poet laureate, she must be available to participate in public events for the duration of the term.
But she will have help.
During the interview process, Fullett-Christensen said she wanted to include young people and the three other finalists for the poet laureate post. The other finalists - Quentin Johnson, Fermina Ponce and Anthony Stanford - expressed the same goals.
"They have a focus on youth and making sure youth are involved," Irvin said. Each finalist also "wanted to make sure that, no matter who is selected as poet laureate, that the other three remaining finalists would be involved in future initiatives."
So Irvin decided to appoint Johnson, Ponce and Stanford to the Aurora Poet Ambassadors Council. One high school student will be added to the group early next year.
An installation ceremony will be in January at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School in Aurora. The school is named in honor of former Illinois Poet Laureate, Gwendolyn Brooks, who died Dec. 3, 2000.