For the inaugural Youth Poet Laureate Program, applications are now being accepted. Young poets (between the ages of 12 and 21 at the time of application) are encouraged to submit an application in order to improve their writing abilities, find mentors, and interact with others on topics that concern the municipality.
The chosen youngsters Poet Laureate will act as a literary ambassador and work to motivate and encourage local youngsters to express themselves verbally and in writing. They will support inclusiveness and community vitality while including young people in innovative regional planning.
The chosen candidate, selected after a peer jury review, will write new poems, present readings at some Regional Council gatherings, share insights about young people and their experiences, and serve as a spokesperson for poetry, language, the arts, and young writers at various speaking engagements. The annual, one-year job comes with a $2,000 honorarium and, through the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, a one-year mentorship with the municipal Poet Laureate.
Halifax Poet Laureate
According to the Municipality, the Poet Laureate is a local poet, storyteller, or spoken word artist who has distinguished themselves among their peers and whose body of work shows a connection to and relevance to the Municipality’s residents. The Poet Laureate participates in activities around the Municipality and beyond as an ambassador for Halifax and its citizens and as a supporter of poetry, language, and the arts. The role of Poet Laureate aims to broadly represent the concerns, issues, and viewpoints of the various communities and individual Municipality citizens. Intake for 2024-2026 will open in December 2023.
Sue Goyette
Municipal Poet Laureate, 2020-2024
Sue Goyette is the eighth Poet Laureate of the city. In this position, Sue will represent poetry, literacy, literature, and the arts for a three-year period. She will represent the municipality as an artist and a supporter of culture and community as part of her mandate by making public appearances and giving readings at neighborhood activities as well as through other public presentation venues.
Living in K’jipuktuk (Halifax), the unceded and unrecognized homeland of the Mi’kmaq people, is Sue Goyette. She has a novel and six books of poetry published. Anthesis is her upcoming collection. (Gaspereau Press, 2020).
In addition to winning the CBC Literary Prize for Poetry, the Earle Birney, the Bliss Carman, the Pat Lowther, and the J.M. Sue has been nominated for other accolades, including the 2014 Griffin Poetry Prize and the Governor General’s Award. For her book Ocean, she received the 2015 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award, the Abraham Poetry Award, and the Relit Award. She was the editor of both the 2017 Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology and the 2014 Best of Canadian Poetry Anthology. Dalhousie University’s Creative Writing Program is taught by Sue.
You want to learn more about the past municipal poet laureates? Visit https://www.halifax.ca/parks-recreation/arts-culture-heritage/poet-laureate
Reference:
https://www.halifax.ca/
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