MAYOR’S POETRY CITY CHALLENGE 2015

LE DÉFI DE LA POÉSIE 2015

 

71 Communities Joined the
2015 Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge!

Great results for the 2015 Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge! 71 communities across Canada participated, compared to 45 last year. These communities include one-third of Canada’s population, all 10 provinces, and Yukon Territory.  More are expected. The “Challenge” is to have one or more local poets read at the local council meeting in Celebration of UNESCO World Poetry Day (March 21) and National Poetry Month. About half of the communities have also declared WPD or NPN. At least 85 poets and 3 readers will read or perform in English, French, and Arabic. They include Toronto’s George Elliot Clarke, Calgary’s derek beaulieu, and 12 other poets laureate. The Challenge is a program of the League of Canadian Poets (LCP) in partnership with the City of Calgary, Writers’ Guild of Alberta, and Calgary’s Loft 112 writers’ centre.

What is the Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge?

The Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge is a national celebration of UNESCO’s World Poetry Day (March 21) and National Poetry Month in April. Begun in 2012, the Challenge is an annual initiative through which municipal councils across Canada open their Council meetings with a reading from a local poet. The aim is for local communities to celebrate poetry, writing, small presses and the contribution of poets and all writers to the rich cultural life in our country.

The Challenge was first offered by Regina’s Mayor Pat Fiacco and continued by Mayor Michael Fougere. This year, Calgary has taken over as the host city, with Mayor Naheed Nenshi offering the challenge to his fellow Canadian mayors. This year’s initiative is a collaboration between the League of Canadian Poets, the city of Calgary, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Loft 112.

Quelle est le défi de la poésie?

Le défi de la poésie du maire est une célébration nationale pour La journée mondiale de la poésie de l’Unesco (le 21 mars) ainsi que Le mois national de la poésie en avril. Conçu en 2012, le défi est une initiative annuelle qui invite les conseils municipaux à travers le Canada à ouvrir une de leurs réunions avec la lecture d’un poème par un poète local. Il s’agit de célébrer la poésie, lʼécriture et les petites presses en reconnaissant la contribution des poètes et de tous les écrivains, à la richesse culturelle de nos communautés.

Le Défi a vu le jour grâce au Maire Pat Fiacco de Régina et a été par la suite repris par le Maire Michael Fougere. Cette année c’est le Maire Naheed Nenshi de Calgary qui lance le défi à ses confrères à travers le pays. L’initiative 2015 est une collaboration de La ligue des poètes du Canada avec la Ville de Calgary, La confrérie des écrivains de l’Alberta et Loft 112.

Communities and participating poets confirmed
Villes et poètes participants au Défi des maires confirmés

 

March / mars

Barrie, ON, Damian Lopes*, Mar 30
CALGARY, AB, derek beaulieu*, Mar 30 (Initiating City for the 2015 Challenge)
Caraquet, NB, Jonathan Roy – Poem, Mar 16
Dauphin, MB, Jean-Louis Guillas
Drummondville, QC, Diane Descôteaux, Mar 16
Flin Flon, MB, Sheila Marchant, Mar 18
Gander, NL, Stephen Rowe, Mar 16
La Ronge, SK, poet TBA
District of Mission, BC, David Pullen, Vienna Jeffery (student), Mar 16
Moncton, NB, Poète Flyée Joséphine Watson, March 16
Owen Sound, ON, Terry Burns* and guest poet, Mar 30
Saint John, NB, Robert Moore, Mar 30, Webcast 6:00 PM Atlantic
Saint John’s, NL, George Murray*, 4 poets TBA, Mar 16
City of Greater Sudbury, Tom Leduc*, Mar 31
Summerside, PE, Sarah Hilvers, Mar 16
Vernon, BC, Harold Rhenish
Victoria, BC, Zoé Duhaime (Youth PL)*, Mar 12

April / avril

Airdrie, AB, BJ Ronnback
Bathurst, NB, Bilel Belwafi (Arabic), Jean-Mari Pître (Fr), Jim Cormier (Eng)
Brandon, MB, Di Brandt
Brantford, ON, John B. Lee*
Camrose, AB, Rose Marie Sackela
Charlottetown, PEI, Jane Ledwell
Chestermere, AB, poet TBA
Cobourg, ON, Ted Amsden*
Cranbrook, BC, student TBA
Creighton, SK, Libby Stoker-Lavelle
Dawson City, YT, poet TBA
Eastend, SK, Sean Virgo
Edmonton, AB, Mary Pinkoski*
Edmunston, NB, Sébastien Bérubé, Apr 21
Estevan, SK, Poems selected and read by 3 students
Fernie, BC, Read by Mr. Keith Liggett, Maria Landa (Fernie Academy),
Austyn Potyok  (Fernie Secondary School), Ruby Staples (Isabelle Dicken School)
Gabriola Island, Naomi Beth Wakan*
Grande Prairie, AB, Teresa Wouters
Happy Valley – Goose Bay, NL, Benny Powell
Halifax, NS, El Jones
Hamilton, ON, John Terpstra, April 22
Jasper, AB, Stephen Nelson, Mayor’s Challenge Contest Winner
Kingston, ON, Helen Humphreys*
London, ON, Kevin Heslop, Jenny Jay, April 14
Medicine Hat, AB, Anjali Mishra
Melfort, SK, Laureen A. DeBusschere, Apr 13
Moose Jaw, SK, Harold Arthur, Apr 20
Nanaimo, BC, Naomi Beth Wakan*, David Fraser and Ursula Vaira
Nelson, BC, Damian John, Geordi Campos
New Glasgow, NS, Jennifer Hatt, Apr 20
New Westminster, BC, Candice James*
Norfolk County, ON, John B. Lee*, Apr 14
North Battleford, SK, Joseph W. Campbell and Fay Beaman Laing
Oshawa, ON, J. Graham Ducker
Paradise, NL, Ramona Dearing
Powell River, BC, Marieve LaFrance, Alenor Boyd, Mitchell Clements and Roger Whittaker
Regina, SK, Gerry Hill
Sackville, NB, Juan Guillermo Sánchez Martínez
Swift Current, SK, poet TBA
Saint John’s, NL, George Murray*, 4 poets TBA, Apr 6, 13, 20, 27
Toronto, ON, George Elliot Clarke, April 1
Truro, NS, Katherine Burris, Apr TBA
Vancouver, BC, Rachel Rose*, Apr 15, 9:35 a.m., televised
Victoria, BC, Yvonne Blomer (PL), Apr 16
Whitehorse, YT, poet TBA
White Rock, BC, Poet TBA, Apr 27
Windsor, ON, Marty Gervais*, Apr 20
Winnipeg, MB, 2 poets TBA
Wolfville, NS, John Guiney Yallop
Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality, AB, Cathy Yard
Yorkton, SK, Micaela Johnson, Nicole Hedley

*Poet Laureate

 Declared World Poetry Day and National Poetry Month / ont déclaré la Journée de la poésie de lʼUNESCO et le mois national de la poésie:

Airdrie, AB
Barrie, ON
Bathurst, NB
Brantford, ON
Calgary, AB
Regional Municipality of Cape Breton, NS
Caraquet, NB
Dauphin, MB
Dawson City, YT
Drummondville, QC
Eastend, SK
Edmonton, AB
Grande Prairie, AB
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL
Kingston, ON
Medicine Hat, AB
Melfort, SK
Moose Jaw, SK
Nanaimo, BC
New Glasgow, NS
North Battleford, SK
Oshawa, ON
Paradise, NL
Powell River, BC
Regina, SK
Sackville, NB
Saint John, NB
Saint John’s, NL
St. Albert, AB
City of Greater Sudbury, ON
Summerside, PE
Toronto, ON
Truro, NS
Victoria, BC
Welland, ON
Whistler, BC
White Rock, BC
Windsor, ON
Wolfville,NS
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, AB