Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Mayor's Poetry Challenge Answered

Nanaimo Poet Laureate: Naomi Beth Wakan Photo:city website

High School Poetry Competition Winners

At the Apr. 18 meeting of Nanaimo City Council, poet laureate Naomi Wakan answered Calgary's Mayor poetry challenge with the introduction of the three winners of the high school poetry challenge held recently.

First place winner Eden Rowe read out a poem praising the Nanaimo waterfront, second place winner Eli Bueckert read a poem simply titled Nanaimo and third place winner Sophia Halfyard read two Haiku poems, one titled Mount Benson and one Departure Bay.

Naomi had some sage advice for these and all aspiring poets. Put simply her advice was for them to get a job, one that just covers your needs, will provide the need to be physical to maintain your health and gain some real life experiences so that your poetry may reflect on the realities of the human condition. This advice was juxtaposed against the idea of sitting around a cafe, dressed in torn jeans, sipping your latte with note book at the ready, waiting for inspiration.

This will be Naomi's third and final term as Nanaimo's first Poet Laureate, and as noted she will be leaving a very large pair of shoes to be filled.

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