City's Poet Laureate Receives Order of Canada and Order of Newfoundland and Labrador
The City of St. John's is pleased to congratulate its Poet Laureate, Tom Dawe, who has received both the Order of Canada and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"We are absolutely thrilled that Tom Dawe, our Poet Laureate, has received such high honours," says Mayor Dennis O'Keefe. "We instituted the position of Poet Laureate as a way of acknowledging all poets and poetry and the value of their contribution to civic life. Tom Dawe's personal contributions to not only our City, but the province and our country have now been recognized and we couldn't be more pleased and proud of our Poet Laureate."
Mr. Dawe was awarded the Order of Canada on Nov. 3, 2011, and was invested on Sept. 28, 2012. The Order of Canada was established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is awarded to Canadians who have given a lifetime of outstanding achievement and dedication to their community and the country.
On Oct. 16, 2012, Mr. Dawe was one of eight recipients invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is the highest honour in the province. The Honourable John Crosbie, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador and Chancellor of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, presented Mr. Dawe with the Order, which is given to citizens who have made significant contributions to the province in areas such as arts, culture, health care and peace advocacy.
Mr. Dawe was chosen as the City's second Poet Laureate in 2010. The Poet Laureate serves a four-year term which runs concurrent to the term of City Council.
"There is no question that Tom Dawe's contributions to the arts and culture of our City is immense," says Deputy Mayor Shannie Duff, Chair of the Arts Advisory Committee. "As a poet, administrator and teacher, Mr. Dawe has helped to shape the literary scene in Newfoundland and Labrador. Through his role as Poet Laureate he has taken on the role of an ambassador for the arts through poetry and we are very fortunate to have someone of his stature representing our City."
His poetry and fiction deal with folklore, resettlement and the natural environment, and evoke the distinctive lilt of Newfoundland's spoken word. He has supported the development of fellow writers as co-founder of both the publishing house Breakwater Books and the literary magazine TickleAce.
In addition to the Order of Canada and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Dawe is also the recipient of numerous other awards and honours, including honourary membership in the Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador, and induction into the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Hall of Honour.
For further information:
Jennifer Mills
Communications Officer
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 570-2037
Cell: (709) 690-7586
E-mail: jmills@stjohns.ca
Dennis O'Keefe
Mayor
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 576-8477
E-mail: dokeefe@stjohns.ca
Shannie Duff
Deputy Mayor
Chair, Arts Advisory Committee
City of St. John's
Phone: (709) 576-8583
E-mail: sduff@stjohns.ca