It is April, and the City of Barrie is celebrating National Poetry Month! Mayor Alex Nuttall presented a proclamation deeming April Poetry Month in Barrie, and Barrie’s Poet Laureate, Tyneisha Thomas read a special poem marking the occasion at Barrie City Council on April 17, at 7 PM. Viewers can tune into the City of Barrie YouTube channel to watch the reading.
Established in Canada in 1998 by the League of Canadian Poets, National Poetry Month takes place every April and brings together schools, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, communities, and poets from across the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada's culture.
In Barrie, the Poet Laureate is officially appointed by a selection committee and is paid an annual stipend to write, publish, and perform poetry, to demonstrate the value of poetry to the community, and to encourage other artists in the written and spoken word realm.
Our current Poet Laureate is Tyneisha Thomas, aka Ty the Poetess, who was crowned in November 2022. Since our last update, amongst other things, she has:
- Continued hosting regular open mic nights at Barrie’s CW Coops, providing a safe and welcoming platform for upcoming artists, and creating unique, free events for the community to experience spoken word art.
- Partnered with the Barrie Public Art Committee on the Art on Transit project which saw five artists respond to her poem, “unexpected destinations” in the form of digital murals in bus shelters.
- Performed for Margaret Atwood at a sold-out gala hosted by the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.
- Represented Barrie at Poet Laureate gatherings across Ontario, bringing recognition to the community and the role.
- Was named a finalist for Barrie’s Young Professional of the Year at the 2023 Barrie Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
- Organized and hosted her first anniversary celebration, Honouring the Crown, One Year Down, which brought together iconic Canadian poets as well as Barrie’s former Poet Laureates for a night of moving, socially relevant performances. Ty shares about the event that “this prestigious title isn’t only about me. This celebration is for every little black girl, every person who struggles with mental health issues, anyone battling addiction and anyone who feared loving themselves fully.”
- In February, she presented a workshop for Black History Month at the MacLaren Art Centre to celebrate Black Canadian Poets.
- Also in February, she was invited to perform in Toronto at Illuminate and Celebrate: A Black Art & Culture Exhibition.
For last year’s National Poetry Month reading, Thomas performed a unique piece of poetry about her pride and duty as Poet Laureate, her journey with depression and self-doubt, releasing her pain through her writing, and acknowledging herself as the City’s first Black and mother Poet Laureate.
“Poetry saves lives, it’s saved mine.” – Ty the Poetess
Learn more about Tyneisha Thomas and the Barrie’s Poet Laureate Program: Poet Laureate | City of Barrie
Keep up with all of Tyneisha’s events and projects via her Facebook page.
Invest Barrie can connect businesses, big and small, to the information, connections and support you need to start or grow your business, attract talent and stay competitive. Please reach out to 705-728-9850 or email us at invest@barrie.ca. You can also follow along and access the latest updates through our social media platforms:
- LinkedIn (Invest Barrie)
- Twitter (@InvestBarrie, @SBCBarrie)
- Instagram (@creativebarrie)
Want the latest Barrie economic news and analysis delivered right to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Invest Barrie Quarterly!
Interested in finding out what’s going on in Barrie’s arts and culture community? Sign up for the Creative Barrie Culture Pop newsletter!