Celebrate National Poetry Month

Monday, April 05, 2021 - 1:00 PM

The City of St. John’s Poet Laureate Mary Dalton is encouraging all residents of the City to celebrate National Poetry Month 2021.

The League of Canadian Poets has declared the theme of NPM 2021 to be resilience.

Mary Dalton has this to say on how poems can foster resilience:

A poem deals in nuance, often in contradiction, ambivalence; most poems worth their salt can’t be reduced to one concept. That said, a poem—like a painting or a piece of music or sculpture— can transport us into another time and place; it can entrance us by its music; it can startle us into new perceptions. To the extent that the poems read in Council this April work this magic, as I think they each in their own distinct ways do, they might be said to strengthen our resilience, our ability to spring back up, to leap forward, in the face of hard times.

Throughout the month of April, tune into the City of St. John’s regular Council meetings. Mary will be attending virtually to introduce local poets, who will then share their work for all to enjoy.

If you are unable to view Council meeting live, poetry readings will be posted to the City’s YouTube account.

Local poets to be featured virtually this month include Don McKay, Anna Swanson, and Patrick Warner.

Author of five books of poetry and Professor Emerita of English at MUN, Mary Dalton is the fourth Poet Laureate for the City of St. John’s. The inaugural position was held by Agnes Walsh from 2006 to 2009, Tom Dawe was the City’s second Poet Laureate from 2010 to 2013 and most recently George Murray held the position from 2014 to 2017.

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