Why does Canada have a Parliamentary Poet Laureate?
Canadian legislators wanted to encourage and promote the importance of literature, culture and language within Canadian society by drawing the public’s attention to poetry, both spoken and written, and to the nature of and need for poetry. The term of the Parliamentary Poet Laureate is two years.
You don't have to suffer to be a poet. Adolescence is enough suffering for anyone.
A poet honoured for literary achievement, appointed for a specific term to represent a particular country, region, or group. A poet laureate may also be acclaimed rather than officially appointed.
What is the origin of the term laureate?
From the laurel, in ancient Greece, sacred to Apollo, and was used to form a crown or wreath of honour for poets and heroes. Wikipedia
What is the plural of poet laureate?
Both poets laureate and poet laureates are acceptable.
Where and when did the position poet laureate originate?
James I essentially created the position as it is known today for Ben Jonson in 1617, although Jonson's appointment does not seem to have been formally made. The office was a development from the practice of earlier times when minstrels and versifiers formed part of the King's retinue. Richard Coeur de Lion had a versificator Regis (King's Poet), Gulielmus Peregrinus, and Henry III had a versificator named (Master Henry). In the 15th century, John Kay, also a "versifier", described himself as Edward IV's "humble poet laureate".
No single authentic definitive record exists of the office of Poet Laureate of England. According to Wharton, Henry I paid 10 shillings a year to a Versificator Regis. Geoffrey Chaucer 1340–1400 was called Poet Laureate, being granted in 1389 an annual allowance of wine. W. Hamilton classes Chaucer, Gower, Kay, Andrew Bernard, Skelton, Robert Whittington, Richard Edwards, Spenser and Samuel Daniel, as "volunteer Laureates".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poet_laureate
What is the role of a poet laureate?
Generally, a poet laureate’s main role is to serve as a literary ambassador, an advocate for poetry, language and the arts. A few are required to write poems for special occasions, but that is not the general rule. Rather the poet is supposed to concentrate on their own work and share that with their community. Often a poet laureate will create a legacy project during their term.
Does Canada have a national poet laureate?
Yes, Federal legislators created the position of Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2001.
Why does Canada have a Parliamentary Poet Laureate?
Canadian legislators wanted to encourage and promote the importance of literature, culture and language within Canadian society by drawing the public’s attention to poetry, both spoken and written, and to the nature of and need for poetry. The term of the Parliamentary Poet Laureate is two years.
write poetry, especially for use in Parliament on important occasions
sponsor poetry readings
advise the Parliamentary Librarian regarding the Library’s collection and acquisitions to enrich its cultural materials, and,
perform other related duties at the request of the Speaker of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Commons, or the Parliamentary Librarian
The Poet is free to determine his or her specific activities within these parameters.
How many poets laureate have been appointed throughout Canada so far?
33 including past and present laureates.
What is the mix of federal, provincial and municipal poet laureates?
Currently there is one Federal Poet Laureate (the Parliamentary Poet Laureate). Two provinces and one territory have a poet laureate: The provinces of Prince Edward Island & Saskatchewan, and the Yukon Territory. And there are poet laureates in these municipalities:
British Columbia – Victoria, Vancouver, City of New Westminster
Alberta – Edmonton
Saskatchewan – Moose Jaw
New Brunswick – Sackville
Newfoundland – St. John’s
Nova Scotia – Halifax
Ontario – Brantford, Cobalt, Owen Sound, Toronto
Most poet laureates are officially appointed, but some have been publicly acclaimed by a group of people. Who has been acclaimed as a poet laureate in Canada?
Rita Joe was called Poet Laureate of the Mi’kmaq nation, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. If you know of others, please let us know.
What is the term of a poet laureate.
From one year to a lifetime. Most often the term is for two or three years.
What do poets laureate and others have to say about the job.
Saskatchewan’s first poet laureate GlenSorestad said, "Each time you write a poem you share a small part of yourself, often a very vital part. I am a person who likes to listen. I record -- sometimes objectively, sometimes becoming emotionally involved. I see this as part of a time-honoured tradition that goes back to the minstrels of the Middle Ages."
The UK and US have one. Toronto based poet and editor Paul Vermeersch says:
“I believe a children's poet laureate would be an asset for Canada. We could use such an advocate in this country for children's education and literacy. An ambassador for both the arts and for children, who can address the public, advise the government, and entertain and educate our young people. . . .
The Poetry Foundation inaugurated Jack Prelutsky as the nation’s first “Children’s Poet Laureate” on September 27 at the Pegasus Awards ceremony in Chicago. The award is given to a living poet for a career devoted to the writing of some of the best poetry for the young. The award is also intended to raise awareness among poetry readers and the public that children are naturally receptive to poetry when written especially for them, and that this often is the beginning of a lifelong love of poetry.
How does one become Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate?
There is a nomination process every two years. Nominated candidates must meet eligibility and selection criteria. In order to give equal representation to Canada’s two official languages, Poets Laureate are selected alternately from each official language community. Literary artists working in oral traditions are also eligible. More info on Canada’s parliamentary poet laureate
When was the first Canadian poet laureate appointed?
What not everyone knows is that the City of Ottawa (then, the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton) actually had three city poet laureates in the 1980s. Conceived by Ottawa poet, Dr. Catherine Ahearn in 1981 to "help promote the City of Ottawa as well as enrich the lives of its citizens," she promoted the idea to then-Ottawa Mayor Marion Dewar, who made the position official in 1982, and named Ahearn herself the first Ottawa poet laureate, who, for her three year, dollar a year position, was to write six poems a year, and attend various civic and community group functions across the city.
The position was later held by poet, fiction writer and University of Ottawa professor Cyril Dabydeen (1984-1987), and poet and former Anthos magazine and Anthos Books editor/publisher Patrick White (1987-1990).
Canadian Poetry University of Toronto Library - offers poetry and poetry-related info from many sources, includes bios on numerous poets, links to journals, presses, events, awards, grants
What is the smallest Canadian city to have a poet laureate?
It depends how you define the area served. The poet laureate from Cobalt, Ontario (pop 1229) is appointed by Cobalt’s Spring Pulse Festival, but serves the larger region of Temiskaming Shores to Temagami, whose combined population is 13,300. Sackville, New Brunswick (pop 5411) also has staked claim to the smallest city, followed by Owen Sound, Ontario with a population of 21, 753.
Are poets laureate paid?
Annual fees range from $1 to $20,000. Some positions are honorary. The median fee seems to be around $5000 a year. The Parliamentary poet laureate receives an annual stipend of $20,000, up to $13,000 in travel expenses annually and a budget for programming, administrative expenses and translation/adaptation into Canada’s second official language.
Who was the first provincial or territorial poet laureate?
PJ Johnson was formally invested as the Yukon Territory’s first Poet Laureate on July 1, 1994.
Glen Sorestad, poet and publisher, was named Poet Laureate of the Province of Saskatchewan in 2000.
Who funds poet laureate appointments?
Usually the municipality or province will sponsor the position. Owen Sound’s laureate is the only one funded by members of the business community, rather than tax payers. Cobalt’s poet laureate is funded by several generous cultural entrepreneurs.
Tips on creating a poet laureate position for your town, city or province
Consult poet laureate sites to develop your community’s poet laureate role:
What are some of the legacy projects created by poet laureates?
Dennis Lee created the Cultural Legacy Program as his legacy project. The program weaves the names of Toronto's artists and thinkers into the fabric of the city by naming streets, squares, parks and other public places after well-known figures.
The renaming of the Toronto-Dominion Courtyard to Oscar Peterson Place was the first site to be designated as part of Dennis Lee's Cultural Legacy Program.
Pier Di Cicco's urban philosophy has influenced municipal policy in Canada, the U.S. and United Kingdom and has moved the role of the poet laureate into the forum of global engagement in issues that address the urban aesthetic and its relationship to livable and sustainable cities.
Sue MacLeod’s legacy project - “To Find Us: words and images of Halifax,” an anthology of poetry, prose and black and white photography Laureate. more info
St. John’s Agnes Walsh has plans to establish a literary legacy program and rekindle Newfoundland's historic ties with Portugal, whose fishing industry is closely linked to Newfoundland. Another goal is to reintroduce the city and the province to the writing of Newfoundland novelist and poet Percy Janes, the author of West Mall, who died in 1999.
What is the history of National Poetry Month in Canada?
The idea to create a month dedicated to reading, writing, speaking and promoting poetry in North America began in the US, when the Academy of American Poets created the first annual National Poetry Month in1996. Fueled by a desire to help inspire people of all ages to explore this passionate art form the Academy chose April; the beginning of the season of rebirth an renewal.
Two years later, National Poetry Month came to Canada by way of the efforts of the League of Canadian Poets. Like their American counterparts, the League hoped to help bring poetry into the lives of everyday people, through public events, youth initiatives, media promotion, and cooperative efforts with schools and other community organizations.
From “The History of National Poetry Month in Canada” by Andrea Thompson: Article (pdf)
Where can I hear poets reading online?
The Poetry Archive www.poetryarchive.org is an ever expanding archive of poets reading their own work.
How did this Poet Laureate Map of Canada come about?
Owen Sound City Council was so proud to have a poet laureate for the City’s 150th Anniversary, that they unanimously approved the creation of a poet laureate map of Canada and provided funding for web design.
Each councillor will also take a turn reading one of the poet laureate poems from this map at the beginning of council meetings. Owen Sound City Council has sponsored the web design of the Poet Laureate Map of Canada.
