From the Poet Laureate

Welcome to www.vancouververse.ca – the official site of the City of Vancouver's Poet Laureate.

There are many subjects and causes worthy of interest of a Poet Laureate, though few that engage us all. But all of us break bread together, or cook beans, or fry noodles. All of us carry memories of those foods that taste like home, whether it is the activist challenging the cruelties of conventional farming, the exile remembering the waft of spices on lost streets, or the child writing about the sockeye salmon she buys at Granville Island.

Poetry inspired by food invites poets to write provocative work about the environment, class, immigration, and occupation, but it also allows us to celebrate our city's strengths in a way that brings us together. As Poet Laureate, I will connect established and emerging Vancouver poets and students with chefs, urban farmers, food bank workers, dumpling makers, beekeepers, and other locals engaged in nourishing our citizens. This feast of home-grown talent will culminate in a book profiling the best of these collaborations. I look forward to welcoming everyone to the table.