Programs & Services

The League is proud to run a variety of programs and services that support poets and poetry in Canada. Find out more about the various programs, events, and publications organized by the League of Canadian Poets below.

Programs

National Poetry Month | Le Mois national de la poésie

April is National Poetry Month!

Established in Canada in 1998 by the League of Canadian Poets, National Poetry Month takes place every April and brings together schools, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, communities and poets from across the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada's culture.

Each year, the League of Canadian Poets selects a theme to ground our conversations, inspirations, and focus of National Poetry Month. LCP produces posters and bookmarks reflecting this theme, which are free to request for your home, school, library, or community!

L'avril c'est le Mois national de la poésie!

Établie au Canada en 1998, le MNP rassemble les écoles, les maisons d’éditions, les librairies, les bibliothèques, les organismes littéraires et les poètes de partout au Canada afin de célébrer la vitalité d’une poésie bien ancrée au sein de la culture canadienne.

Chaque année, la Ligue des poètes canadiens choisit une thématique pour faire converger nos conversations, et nos inspirations pendant tout le mois d’avril. Que ce soit pour vous, votre école, votre bibliothèque, ou votre communauté, le Mois national de la poésie vous enverra gratuitement, sur demande, des signets et des affiches reflétant notre thématique.

Poster & bookmark graphic

NPM/MNP 2025: Theme, posters, & bookmarks (thème, affiches, et signets)

Jade Wallace

What Can a Poetry Review Do? | Jade Wallace

Tara Borin

A note from your Poet Ambassador in Residence | Tara Borin

Poem in Your Pocket Day

Poem in Your Pocket Day is an international movement that encourages people to centre poetry within their daily interactions. Poem In Your Pocket Day is celebrated in the last week of National Poetry Month (April). On PIYP Day, select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, coffee shops, street corners, and on social media using the hashtag #PocketPoem.

The LCP also hosts an annual contest in Autumn to select the poems included the Poem In Your Pocket Postcard Collection.

La Journée du poème à porter

La Journée du poème à porter est un événement auquel toutes et tous peuvent participer en partageant leur amour de la poésie. Pour cette adaptation francophone de l’événement Poem in Your Pocket Day, qui se tient le dernier jeudi du mois d’avril, La poésie partout propose une sélection de textes de poètes du Québec, du Canada francophone et des Premières Nations. Tout le monde peut porter un poème, sans le dire à personne, ou bien en utilisant le mot-clic #poèmeàporter.

Depuis 2017, La poésie partout organise la Journée du poème à porter parmi ses multiples activités de diffusion et de dissémination de la poésie.

Poet Ambassador in Residence

The Poet Ambassador in Residence program is an opportunity for the League to work with some of Canada’s most exciting poets in support of our mission. In addition to receiving financial support for their own creative work, the Ambassador will work directly with the League’s community of poets through drop-in consultations, workshops, and events. The Ambassador will also support several of the League’s cherished core programs such as Poem in Your Pocket Day, the LCP Chapbook Series, and Poetry Pause. 

PAIR Web Image

Announcing the Poet Ambassador In Residence Program

Book reviews

The League is proud to run a volunteer reviews program, which allows poets to be reviewed by their peers. The League maintains a database of reviewable titles, accessible via the link below.

To request a review copy: send an email to the email address listed in the reviewable titles database (this will differ by title).

To submit a review for publication: email your completed review to [email protected].

To add a title to the database: complete the form via the link below.

Please note: the League does not accept unsolicited hard copies of books for review; books received by mail will not be added to the database.

In Conversation podcast series

Initiated by the Feminist Caucus, the In Conversation podcast series is a space for poets to come together and discuss the themes, issues, joys, and perils of being a poet in our time. You can listen to In Conversation episodes on Youtube.

Events

League event details and registration

The League uses a selection of different platforms for event registration. Most League events are hosted online on Zoom. Online events are not always recorded; when they are, participants will be made aware of this. Closed captioning is available at all online events.

At this time, the League does not maintain an events calendar; however, we often share information about events on Facebook and Instagram, as well as through our newsletter, Between the Lines. We cannot guarantee the distribution of any event details, but you may submit details on an upcoming event through this form.

Cross-Pollinations Virtual Rounds Series

A partnership between the League, the Canadian Association for Health Humanities, and the Health Arts Research Centre.

In Cross-Pollinations, health humanities and poetry come together under the same scope, combining artistic expression with health practice and research. The conversations of Cross-Pollinations illuminate new and emerging insights and perspectives on healthcare opportunities and challenges, healthcare approaches and advances, as well as build bridges of connection between health professionals, humanities and the arts.

Events take place on Zoom, the last Wednesday of each month at 6pm ET/3pm PT.

Anne Szumigalski Lecture Series

Established in 2002 and modeled after the Margaret Laurence lecture series, the Anne Szumigalski lecture series presents an annual lecture from a distinguished Canadian poet on craft, culture, and community.

Past lecturers have included Billy-Ray Belcourt, Louise Bernice Halfe-Sky Dancer, Tolu Oloruntoba, Alice Major, Lillian Allen, Anne Carson, and Dionne Brand, among others.

These lectures have ranged from deeply academic to profoundly creative, and have engaged questions of social justice, politics, and identity in their explorations of poetry.

Lectures are available to view on Youtube, or to read in the anthology Measures of Astonishment or in Prairie Fire magazine. Find links below, under past lectures.

Open mic nights and member readings

In the spirit of the Joseph Sherman New Member Reading, the League is proud to offer regular virtual events where members can read poetry and connect as a community!

These online events happen approximately once per month, and open mic spots are available to a different group of poets at each event (most often based on geography).

We encourage all poetry lovers to attend these events, but reader spots are typically reserved for League members.

Freedom to Read Week Events

Freedom to Read Week

Each February, the League joins writers, readers, libraries, schools, and publishers all across Canada in celebrating Freedom to Read Week. Since 2022, we have hosted a panel discussion featuring poets from communities whose voices and stories are often challenged and silenced.

BIPOC Writers Connect

BIPOC Writers Connect: Facilitating Mentorship, Creating Community is a virtual conference for Black, Indigenous, and racialized emerging writers to connect with industry professionals, established authors, and fellow emerging writers — all in one place! Presented by The Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC) and the League of Canadian Poets (LCP). TWUC and LCP are committed to cultivating space where BIPOC writers can share tools, strategies, feedback, and knowledge.

BIPOC Writers Connect includes:

  • one-on-one time for feedback with a professional writer who has reviewed your work in advance;
  • panel discussions with literary industry professionals;
  • a behind-the-scenes look at manuscript selection as panelists offer feedback on the first pages of anonymously submitted manuscripts;
  • workshop on writing query letters; and
  • networking opportunities.

Event recordings

Many of the League events are recorded and available through our Youtube channel. If you are seeking a particular recording and you aren't able to find a video on our Youtube channel, please contact [email protected].

None of the League's open mic events are recorded.

Recordings from member-only events are available to members only.

Poetry Pause

Poetry Pause sends a poem a day directly to subscribers' inboxes. This daily digital dispatch augments the presence of Canadian poetry and provides an opportunity for Canadian poets – seasoned and emerging alike – to have their poetry read by an ever-growing audience.
Inspired by the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, Poetry Pause delivers more than a poem; it delivers the chance for folks to pause for poetry – to spare a few minutes each day for words that heal, inspire, and sustain.

Call for submissions: Black History Month

To celebrate Black History Month 2025, the League will select 12-15 poems by Black writers to feature in Poetry Pause in February 2025. Deadline: December 17, 2024.

The League also seeks a Black graphic designer or illustrator to collaborate with the League in designing a unique Poetry Pause logo (two lines) celebrating Black History Month to feature in the Poetry Pause header throughout February 2025. There is an honorarium of $300 available for this work. Interested candidates should email [email protected] with work samples by January 8, 2025. Inquiries may also be sent to [email protected].

Poetry Pause from the League of Canadian Poets

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LCP Chapbook Series

LCP Chapbook Series

The LCP Chapbook Series publishes fresh and exceptional Canadian poetry guided by a wide-reaching variety of themes to increase visibility and recognition for the various identities and intersections that contribute to the vibrant Canadian poetry community.Buy a chapbook today and bring home a piece of poetry!

Fresh Voices

Fresh Voices was created by Associate Member Lesley Strutt to showcase the great work being produced by the League’s associate members. Prior to 2024, issues were published three times per year. In May 2024, the Fresh Voices program shifted to a weekly publication format, with one poem featured each Friday in Poetry Pause. Browse past issues and individual poems below.

This opportunity is open only to Associate members of the League. Not yet a member? Please visit our membership page for details on how to apply!