Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie (PIV/LVP) wants everyone in Canada to speak poetry. To realize this, PIV/LVP has compiled an abundance of resources for educators and various ways to engage young people in the world of poetry.
PIV/LVP’s always-expanding collection of poems invites students to read, write, and recite, giving them opportunities to engage with the work of poets ranging from those of yesteryear to many of the brightest names writing today.
Many of these poems have associated lesson plans, dive-ins, and one-liners. The new poetic playlist initiative called Mixtapes presents mini-collections on various themes, such as “Prairie Inclusivity,” which includes works by Katherena Vermette, Bertrand Bickersteth, and Brandi Bird (whose debut poetry collection will be out with House of Anansi Press in fall 2023).
The “Write” section of the website is a rich source of exercises written by Poetry In Voice anthology poets and members of the Poet Network, some of whom are available to be booked for classroom visits as part of the popular Poet In Class program. Any poem that students produce after engaging with Poetry In Voice can be submitted to the Voices/Voix journal for a chance at paid publication. Every month there is the monthly prompt prize of $100, and starting this year, every poem submitted to Voices could potentially be shortlisted for FutureVerse.
Cooper Skjeie is an award-winning poet and educator from Saskatoon.
FutureVerse is the newest program offered by Poetry In Voice – an all-expenses-paid writing intensive that will immerse 25 high school poets from coast to coast to coast in a poetry experience like no other.
Over four days, well-known authors, publishers, and activists lead students through talks and workshops on subjects like mental health and addiction, eco-poetics and activism, Indigenous literature and decolonizing poetry, and the business of writing. This incredible experience took place on Treaty 7 Territory in Calgary this year, in the days leading up to the 2023 National Finals Show.
Since 2010, Poetry In Voice has called on Canadian schools to host local recitation contests, which could earn their students a spot as a finalist in the annual competition. Out of hundreds of recitation submissions each year, nine students are selected (who will also fill nine of the 25 slots open for FutureVerse) to compete as national finalists in one of three contest streams: English, French, or Bilingual.
This year’s finalists recited memorized poems before a packed house at the Calgary Central Public Library, where a panel of professional poets awarded a $3,000 grand prize, just part of the $75,000 in prize and travel money awarded annually through the PIV/LVP recitation competitions.
What else to say about Poetry In Voice? In recent months, our team, in collaboration with Indigenous poets, educators, and artists, has been at work developing a new section of the website titled Decolonial Initiatives and Indigenous Programming (DIIP).
The aim of DIIP is to increase Indigenous student engagement with Poetry In Voice, to create a space that centres the work of Indigenous poets, and to provide students and teachers with resources that explore themes of decolonization. DIIP will be ready in time for the 2023/2024 school year. Any Indigenous poets or educators who might be interested in creating content for the program can reach out to me at cooper@poetryinvoice.ca.
