Poetry Foundation President Robert Polito will step down from his position at the end of the month when his two-year contract expires, according to a recent press release. His departure will commence the Foundation’s search for a new president.

Based in Chicago and founded in 2003, the Foundation is an “independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture,” according to its website, and it publishes Poetry magazine, which was founded by Harriet Monroe in 1912.

Of Polito, who will return to the New School in New York City where he is a tenured professor, the Foundation said, “We appreciate his extraordinary contributions to the Foundation and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The Foundation expects to bring in an interim president as it searches for new leadership.