New Parliamentary laureate to promote poetry
By Natalie Pressman
Georgette LeBlanc says she wishes more Canadians knew that “they actually live in poetry.”
As the newly appointed Parliamentary Poet Laureate, LeBlanc will spend the next two years writing poetry and promoting the role literature plays in the lives of Canadians.
“We live in it, we hear it, we listen to it all the time. Poetry is everywhere,” LeBlanc said. “It’s not that scary and it’s definitely not stuffy and not everyone is depressed.”
LeBlanc is the eighth Parliamentary Poet Laureate and the second woman to carry the title. The program alternates between French and English candidates each term with a $20,000 annual stipend. Though LeBlanc was born in Quebec, she grew up in Baie Sainte-Marie, N.S., and much of her work reflects her Acadian roots.
Still in the early stages of her term, the Nova Scotian poet is “overwhelmed with possibilities” and working to narrow down her plans as laureate.
“To organize something that might engage others is a challenge. To decide, there are so many good ideas,” LeBlanc said. “A good plan is usually focused and so I need to do that, and that work isn’t writing.”
To Sébastien Tremblay, manager of the Parliamentary Poet Laureate program, that’s the exciting part of the position.
“It’s up to every poet to give it its colour,” he said. “You’ll see variations based on personalities or interests or styles.”
Past laureates have hosted events, run workshops and conducted poetry readings to boost citizens’ engagement with literature. George Elliot Clarke, who preceded LeBlanc and ended his term in December 2017, established a poetry registry to connect citizens to poems about their regions and constituencies.
No matter what LeBlanc decides for her term, she knows that there will be a strong focus on writing poetry.
While Clarke has been criticized for not writing enough during his term, LeBlanc is already fielding requests from members of Parliament to write poetry for events.
For Joanne Larocque-Poirier, chief of staff of the Canada Council for the Arts, it is key that the poets selected represent Canada’s diversity.
“LeBlanc is an accomplished poet and an advocate of Acadian arts and culture, so it’s great that that will be reflected in her role,” said Larocque-Poirier. “She’s an amazing storyteller and ultimately those stories are all part of the collective memory of Acadian culture.”
Larocque-Poirier was one of four people who sat on the poet laureate selection committee. The committee reviewed nominations and made recommendations to the Speakers of the Senate and the House of Commons, who made the final decision.
“It comes back to arts and culture, and the importance of that in the identity in a country,” she said. “It’s a reflection of who we are. Georgette LeBlanc is certainly well placed to play that role.”
In addition to poetry, LeBlanc has written for television, theatre and musical projects. Her third book, Prudent, was a finalist for the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry.
LeBlanc began writing when she was 12 years old as a tool for expression, and during her term she hopes to share some of the healing powers she felt with young Canadians.
“At that age it’s just about giving tools to get people to pay attention to whatever is going on in their lives,” she said. “The more people who are going for it, however that manifests itself, that’s good. It’s good for poetry, but it’s just good for people in general.”