St@nza ‐ January 2014 Volume 11, Number 1 To include your news, events or other listings please contact Ingel Madrus at: Email: [email protected], Phone: 416‐504‐1657, Fax: 416‐504‐0096 News from the LCP Page 1 Opportunities Page 5 New Members Page 10 Poetry & Literary News Page 3 Events & Readings Page 8 Members News Page 11 NEWS FROM THE LCP Office News Lesley Fletcher, our wonderful Administrative and Communications Coordinator, will leave her position here at the League office to pursue a new position at the Retail Council of Canada. We'd like to thank Lesley for all her hard work and the many contributions she has made to the League. We wish her much success as she starts this new phase of her career. National Poetry Month Celebrates the Success of the Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge in 2014 Building on the success of the Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge, the theme for the National Poetry Month events is Poetry City. In 2013 Regina Mayor Michael Fougere challenged his fellow mayors in communities across Canada to have a local poet read a poem at the opening of their Council meetings in March or April. The challenge is a celebration of UNESCO’s World Poetry Day (March 21) and National Poetry Month in April. The purpose is to celebrate poetry, writing, small presses and the contribution of poets and all writers to the cultural life in our communities. It also celebrates libraries, and the work of so many mayors and municipalities to promote literacy and reading. This project is a collaboration between the Saskatchewan Writers Guild and the League of Canadian Poets in cooperation with the City of Regina. The LCP asks poets and hosts to create events across the country, in their local urban communities, incorporating the Poetry City theme. For the National Poetry Month 2014 application click here: http://poets.ca/wp‐content/uploads/2013/11/npmappl2014.pdf Spoken Word Award Call for Nominations Deadline: January 15, 2014 The League of Canadian Poets and Calgary Spoken Word Festival are thrilled to present the 8th annual Sheri‐D Wilson Golden Beret Award. The recipient will be announced in April as part of National Poetry Month and the Calgary Spoken Word Festival! The award will be presented at the League of Canadian Poets’ annual LCP Poetry Festival and Conference in June. The recipient will receive a prize of $1000. This $1000.00 annual award was created by Sheri‐D Wilson—a pioneer of spoken word poetry in Canada—to honour a Canadian spoken word artist who has made a substantial contribution to the development of spoken word, through the originality and excellence of his or her own writing/performance works, and through involvement in—and contributions to—the expansion of the spoken word community. The Golden Beret Award was first presented at the Calgary Spoken Word Festival in 2007. NOMINATE SOMEONE TODAY! Submit a One Page Letter by snail‐mail to The League of Canadian Poets, Attn: Golden Beret Award, 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 312, Toronto, ON M5T 2C2 or email [email protected], Subject: Golden Beret Award by January 15, 2014. The selection committee will evaluate candidates based on the following qualities: 1. Originality of creative process, 1 2. Mastery of the genre, 3. Innovation and quality of writing, 4. Use of new technologies, 5. Contribution to community, 6. Openness and Inclusiveness of diverse voices. This year’s jury is: Tanya Evanson, Ian Ferrier & Sheri‐D Wilson. Previous Recipients: 2013 ‐ Tanya Evanson (Vancouver, BC) 2012 ‐ Kirk Miles (Calgary, AB) 2011 ‐ Ian Ferrier (Montréal, QC) 2010 ‐ Wendy Morton (Victoria,BC) 2009 ‐ Lillian Allen (Toronto, ON) 2008 ‐ Sarah Murphy (Calgary, AB) 2007 ‐ Murdoch Burnett (Comox, BC) For more information visit www.poets.ca or call 416‐504‐1657. Deadline: January 15, 2014 for the Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth There are two age categories, junior (grades 7‐9) and senior (grades 10‐12). First place poems in each category will receive a cash prize of $350, second place winners will receive $300 and third place winners will receive $250. All winning poems will be published in the League of Canadian Poets’ e‐zine, Re:verse at www.youngpoets.ca. All winners will receive Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Youth certificates and student memberships in the League of Canadian Poets for one year. For guidelines: http://poets.ca/jessamy‐stursberg‐poetry‐contest‐for‐canadian‐youth/. Deadline: January 15. Canada Poetry Tours funding deadline – January 31 The Canada Poetry Tours program deadline is January 31, 2014 (for readings taking place between April 1 and September 30, 2014). Please visit our guidelines online at http://poets.ca/programs‐2/reading‐ programs/. Let me know if you have any questions. Contact: Ingel at [email protected] or 416‐504‐ 1657. Young Poets Week – New Dates in 2014 Attention Ontario teachers and Poets in the Schools participants! In 2014 the League of Canadian Poets will celebrate young poets during National Youth Arts Week (May 1 – 7, 2014). The announcement of the winners of the Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth and Young Poets Week will both take place during this week. National Youth Arts Week provides an opportunity for young people ages 13 to 30 to express and exchange their ideas, showcase their talents, get excited about art and creativity and celebrate their positive contributions to their communities and to Canada. The League of Canadian Poets in very excited about this new collaboration! For more information on National Youth Arts Week visit: http://youthartsweek.ca/. The Young Poets Week deadline is: April 1, 2014. Young Poets Week application: http://poets.ca/wp‐content/uploads/2013/11/ypwpitsappl2014.pdf You’re Invited: LCP Poetry Festival & Conference 2014 in Toronto Plans for the League of Canadian Poets’ (LCP) 48th annual LCP Poetry Festival and Conference are under way. This exciting three‐day event is scheduled for June 6 ‐ 8, 2014, conveniently located in downtown Toronto at the Courtyard by Marriott at College and Yonge. The schedule includes: Joe Sherman Memorial New Members reading, Annual General Meeting, an open mic., 3 panels, The Anne Szumigalski lecture (to be presented by Lillian Allen) and the Raymond Souster, Pat Lowther and Gerald Lampert Award ceremonies. Conference details will be available online shortly. 2 News from the Feminist Caucus This month, a Muslim feminist poet and reformer, also The Munk Debate on Gender in the 20th Century; new books from Louise Carson and Magie Dominic; reviews of Snowformations, by Carolyn Marie Souaid , Rove, by Laurie D. Graham, I Am That Woman, by Vanessa Shields, Marion Nicoll by Anne Davis, et .al., Greening the Maple; previews of titles on Becoming Women, Gendering Parenthood, Assisted Conception, Family and Home (University of Toronto Press.) For full report: http://poets.ca/programs‐2/feminist‐caucus/ POETRY AND LITERARY NEWS Appointment of a New Parliamentary Poet Laureate The Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, announced the appointment of Michel Pleau as Canada’s next Parliamentary Poet Laureate, effective January 1, 2014. Mr. Pleau is the sixth poet to hold this office, succeeding Fred Wah, whose two‐year term ended on December 31, 2013. “A leading figure in the artistic community, Michel Pleau has an impressive body of work to his credit,” said Speaker Kinsella. “The passion for poetry he brings to his new role as Parliamentary Poet Laureate will serve Canadians well as he draws upon his extensive experience to inspire others with his writing and teaching.” “Michel Pleau is well known for being a generous author," indicates Speaker Scheer. “He takes genuine pleasure in discussing poetry with others; he listens as intently as he writes and has influenced many other young writers with his humanity.” Mr. Pleau was selected by the Speakers upon the recommendation of the Selection Committee composed of Graham Fraser, Commissioner of Official Languages; Lucie L. Séguin, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister at Library and Archives Canada; Joanne Larocque‐Poirier, Head, Endowments and Prizes Section at the Canada Council for the Arts, and Sonia L’Heureux, Parliamentary Librarian. Michel Pleau indicates he is delighted and honoured to act as “ambassador” of literature. As Canada’s sixth Parliamentary Poet Laureate, he intends to continue his life’s work of helping others discover and love poetry. Mr. Pleau has been writing for 25 years and has been published more than a dozen times. He has received numerous awards over the course of his career, with La lenteur du monde earning him the 2008 Governor General Award in Poetry. Biographical notes and a photo of Michel Pleau are available on‐line at www.parl.gc.ca/poet. For additional information media may contact: Library of Parliament Media Relations, Nancy Durning at 613‐218‐4611. Gwen Hauser ‐ May 16, 1944 – July 24, 2012 Gwen Hauser was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and grew up with her nine siblings on a hardscrabble farm near that city. From puberty on she suffered frequently from poor mental and physical health. Nevertheless, she attended the University of Alberta, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966. Following graduation, Hauser did graduate work at the University of British Columbia prior to moving to Toronto during the early 1970s. In Toronto she joined the LINK Poetry Work‐shop and the League of Canadian Poets, where she was a member during the 1970s, ‘80s, and early ‘90s, helping to establish its Feminist Caucus. She remained active in the Toronto poetry community until her death at age 68. During her forty‐year professional career, Hauser published at least seven poetry collections.