Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge FAQ

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New in 2016: Calgary Poet Laureate derek beaulieu, in partnership with Barrie Poet Laureate damian lopes, issues a friendly challenge to Poets Laureate across Canada! Check it out here.

To celebrate National Poetry Month and UNESCO World Poetry Day, each year municipalities across Canada are challenged to bring poetry into politics. One mayor leads this annual challenge by inviting a poet to read at a council meeting in March or April, and challenges mayors and councils across the nation to follow suit and join the celebration. Initiated by Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco in 2012, the Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge celebrates poetry, writing, small presses and the contribution of poets and all writers to the rich cultural life in our country.

Last year the torch was passed from Regina to Calgary, and Mayor Nenshi’s first challenge was a huge success. With over seventy participants, the 2015 challenge was our largest yet—but we hope for even more in 2016! This year’s challenge is a collaboration between the League of Canadian Poets, The City of Calgary, and the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, with the support of Loft 112. Follow the League on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and track the hashtag #PoetryCity to get involved!

Communities participating in the 2016 challenge will be added to this page as we receive their confirmation.

Find out more about the 2015 challenge here, or the 2014 challenge here.

PARTICIPATING COMMUNITIES for #POETRYCITY 2016

MARCH | MARS

Brandon, MB: Mayor Rick Chrest | Reading from Di Brandt
Brooks, AB: Mayor Barry Morishita
Caraquet, NB: Mayor Kevin J. Haché | 14 mars | Christiane St-Pierre
Cobourg, ON: Mayor Gil Brocanier | March 21 | Reading from Ted Amsden
Cranbrook, BC: Mayor Lee Pratt | March 21 | Reading from Astarte (Dale Sellars)
Creighton, SK: Mayor Bruce Fidler | Reading from Libby Stoker-Lavelle
Dauphin, MB: Mayor Eric Irwin
Drummondville, QC: Mayor Alexandre Cusson | 14 mars | Henriette Dion, qui lira un texte de Roch Nappert
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL: Mayor Jamie Snook | March 21
Jasper, AB: Mayor Richard Ireland
La Ronge, SK: Mayor Thomas Sierzycki
Paradise, NL: Mayor Dan Bobbett
Portage la Prairie, MB: Mayor Irvine A Ferris | March 14 | Reading from Stephanie Kauffmann
Spruce Grove, AB: Mayor Stuart Houston | Reading from Leanne Myggland-Carter
St. John’s, NL: Mayor Dennis O’Keefe | March 21
Toronto, ON: Mayor John Tory | Reading from Anne Michaels
Victoria, BC: Mayor Lisa Helps | March 10 | Reading from Yvonne Blomer and Ann-Bernice Thomas
Waterloo, ON: Mayor Dave Jaworsky | Reading from Janice Jo Lee

APRIL | AVRIL

Brampton, ON: Mayor Linda Jeffrey | April 13 | Reading from Don S. Martin
Brantford, ON: Mayor Chris Friel | April 19 | Reading from John B. Lee
Charlottetown, PE: Mayor Clifford Lee | Reading from Deirdre Kessler
Edmundston, BB: Mayor Cyrille Simard | Reading from Edith Bourget
Eston, SK: Mayor Al Heron | Poem by Shari Gardiner read by Mayor Al Heron
Fernie, BC: Mayor Mary Guiliane
Flin Flon, MB: Mayor Cal Huntley | April 19 | Reading from Helen Strom
Fredericton, NB : Mayor Brad Woodside | April 11 and 25 | Reading from Ian LeTourneau
Gatineau, QC: Maire Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin | 12 avril | Guy Jean
Grand Prairie, AB: Mayor Bill Given
Kingston, ON: Mayor Bryan Paterson | April 19 | Reading from Helen Humphreys
Leduc, AB: Mayor Greg Krischke | April 25
Medicine Hat, AB: Mayor Ted Clugston
Melfort, SK: Mayor Rick Lang | April 11 | Reading from Emily Eskowich
Mississauga, ON: Mayor Bonnie Crombie | Reading from Anna Yin
Moose Jaw, SK: Mayor Deb Higgins | April 18 | Reading from Jim McLean
Nanaimo, BC: Mayor Bill McKay | Reading from Naomi Beth Wakan
Nelson, BC: Mayor Deb Kozak | April 4 | Reading from Brad Bradley
New Westminster, BC: Mayor Jonathan Coté | Reading from Candice James
Norfold County, ON: Mayor Charlie Luke | April 26 | Reading from John B. Lee
North Battleford, SK: Mayor Ian Hamilton
North Saanich, BC: Mayor Alice Finall | April 4 | Reading from Patrick Lane
Oshawa, ON: Mayor John Jenry | April 11 | Reading from Graham Ducker and Jaylen Stark
Powell River, BC: Mayor David Formosa | Reading from Elijah Hueston, Mia Curtis, Sara Warman and Meaghan Turley, and Olivia Warman and Kayla Baker
Prince George, BC: Mayor Lyn Hall | April 25 | Reading from Gillian Wigmore
Regina, SK: Mayor Michael Fougere
Sackville, NB: Mayor Robert Berry | Reading from Shoshanna Wingate
Sarnia, ON: Mayor Mike Bradley | April 12 | Reading from Ryan Gibbs and Lois Nantais
St. Catharine’s, ON: Mayor Walter Sendzik
St. John’s, NL: Mayor Dennis O’Keefe | April 4
Summerside, PE: Mayor Bill Martin | April 18 | Reading from Deirdre Kessler
Truro, NS : Mayor W. R. Mills | Reading from Chad Norman and Penny Ferguson
Vancouver, BC: Mayor Gregor Robertson | April 20 | Reading from Rachel Rose
Victoria, BC: Mayor Lisa Helps | April 14 | Reading from Yvonne Blomer and Ann-Bernice Thomas
White Rock, BC: Mayor Wayne Baldwin | April 25
Windsor, ON: Mayor Drew Dilkens | Reading from Marty Gervais
Wolfville, NS: Mayor Jeff Cantwell | Reading from Sonia Thon, Jennifer Morrison, and Wanda Campbell
Yorkton, SK: Mayor Bob Maloney

OTHER

Barrie, ON: Mayor Jeff Lehman
Eastend, SK: Mayor Alan Howard | Reading from Sean Virgo
Longueuil, QC: Mairesse St-Hilaire

#POETRYCITY PARTICIPANTS DECLARING WORLD POETRY DAY

Brantford ON, Brooks AB, Caraquet NB, Cobourg ON, Dauphin MB, Drummondville QC, Happy Valley-Goose Bay NL, La Ronge SK, Nanaimo BC, New Westminster BC, North Battleford SK, Powell River BC, Spruce Grove AB, St John’s NL, Victoria BC, Windsor ON, Melfort SK, Regina SK, Wolfville NS, Oshawa ON, White Rock BC.

#POETRYCITY PARTICIPANTS DECLARING NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

Barrie ON, Brantford ON, Caraquet ON, Cobourg ON, Dauphin MB, Grande Prairie AB, Happy Valley-Goose Bay NL, La Ronge SK, Medicine Hat AB, Nanaimo BC, New Westminster BC, North Battleford SK, Powell River BC, Sackville NB, St Catharines ON, St John’s NL, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, Windsor ON, Toronto ON, Prince George BC, Melfort SK, Regina SK, Paradise NL, Eastend SK, Wolfville NS, Oshawa ON, Nelson BC, White Rock BC, Gatineau, QC, Kingston ON, Eston SK.