Poet Laureate of Cobourg, Ontario

It was an incredible honour to be Cobourg’s Poet Laureate since the end of June 2019 to January 2023. It is humbling too. We have so much talent in our community. We are blessed to live in a town that celebrates the arts and actively creates together.

My first project was launched in 2019 with a new weekly tradition:

• Poetry Present: A weekly email with a poem composed by a poet from Cobourg or nearby (or a poet who has visited the area).
  • Archives

In 2020, my second project began a new annual tradition:

• Light in My Eyes: An Earth Day Poetry eChapbook. 2020.
• Lessons from the Earth. An Earth Day Poetry eChapbook. 2021.
• The Story of Water. An Earth Day Poetry eChapbook. 2022.

In 2021, the third and fourth big project begins with new monthly traditions:

• Poetry Invites: A monthly invitation emailed to subscribers of Poetry Present to be inspired to write poetry by the landscape, people, and places in Cobourg. These prompts led to our evolving eChapbook: Cobourg Present.
• Letter to a Poet began in July. It is a monthly offering in Cobourg Now: A News Magazine. Each month features a different poem by a local poet and a letter to that poet about poetry and life.

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Mission

• “To honour and nurture the expression of life in Cobourg’s past, present and future and to establish the reputation of Cobourg as a culturally dynamic community.” From the Town of Cobourg’s description of the role.

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Vision

• To honour and support the legacies of Cobourg Poets Laureate who have gone before me.
• To uplift, inspire, and celebrate Cobourg through engaging the community in writing and reading more poetry.
• To introduce new projects to promote local voices and to encourage writing in community.
  • Weekly poems delivered to your inbox: Poetry Present.
  • Co-create an inspiring artistic walk to engage with the history, people, and places within the town–and write more poetry.

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Poetry in Cobourg

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