HomePage / Your Government / News & Events / Nanaimo's Poetry Walk to be unveiled with Inaugural Poet Laureate's poem.

Nanaimo's Poetry Walk to be unveiled with Inaugural Poet Laureate's poem.

City's newest cultural asset will be unveiled on Thursday March 23rd.

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed March 14, 2017 10:00 AM

Summary

The City of Nanaimo will unveil the first addition to it's Poetry Walk. Nanaimo's Inaugural Poet Laureate, Naomi Beth Wakan, will have one of her poems become the first instalment to the Nanaimo Poetry Walk on Thursday, March 23rd, outside the Port Theatre. The Poetry Walk will capture poems written by the outgoing Poet Laureate. This project highlights Nanaimo's support for Poetry and the Literary Arts and also reinforces the success of the Poet Laureate program, which began at the beginning of 2014.

Link to Strategic Plan: This project supports Nanaimo’s Community Value of Cultural Vitality in the City of Nanaimo Strategic Plan by supporting culture as an integral part of everyday life in Nanaimo. Achieving cultural vitality includes: promoting Nanaimo’s arts, creativity, heritage, cultural traditions and community wellness.

Key Points

  • Poetry to be unveiled on Thursday March 23, 2017 at 3 P.M. outside Nanaimo's Port Theatre.
  • Nanaimo's Poetry Walk will capture poems written by outgoing poet laureates every three years.

Quotes

"I am so delighted that the Culture and Heritage department has marked the initiation of the poetry walk, a set of paving stones each bearing a poem by a Nanaimo Poet Laureate as he/she completes their term. The whole idea of Nanaimo having a poet laureate can be credited to the Culture and Heritage department and certainly the response by the people of Nanaimo to myself, as the first poet laureate, has been wonderful. Poetry may not give us our daily food, but it can certainly inspire us to celebrate our good times together and bear our sorrows by sharing our grief in the form of poetry."

Naomi Beth Wakan
Nanaimo's Inaugural Poet Laureate
City of Nanaimo

Quick Facts

  • Nanaimo's Poetry Walk will be located outside the main entrances of the Port Theatre.
  • Poems to be included on the Poetry Walk will be written by the current Poet Laureate at the end of their term.

Images

First Poem being installed.
First Poem being installed.
Parks and Recreation crew putting the final touches on the first poem for Nanaimo's Poetry Walk.
-30-

Contact:

Chris Barfoot
Culture and Heritage Coordinator
City of Nanaimo
250-755-4483

Print News Release

Is there anything wrong with this page?

Help us improve our website

Don't include private or financial information in this form.
Collection and use of your personal information

Information collected on this form is done so under the general authority of the Community Charter and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA), and is protected in accordance with FOIPPA. Questions about the collection of your personal information may be referred to the Legislative Services Department at 250-755-4405, or via email at foi@nanaimo.ca. Please also see our Privacy Policy.