A Toronto-born writer now living in Montreal has been named Canada's new poet laureate.
John Steffler will replace Pauline Michel, who completed her two-year tenure last month.
John Steffler said he will 'act as an advocate for writing across the country.'
(Susan Gillis/Library of Parliament)
"As an award-winning poet and fiction writer, Mr. Steffler has been a highly regarded ambassador of Canadian writing for many years," Speaker of the Senate, Noël Kinsella, said Monday in making the announcement.Â
"His career-long interest in the interaction between people and the places they inhabit will lead to some insightful poetic reflections on the Canadian experience."Â
Steffler, 59, becomes the third poet to hold the largely ceremonial office since its inception four years ago. He will get an office on Parliament Hill and $13,000 a year over his two-year tenure.
Steffler told CBCÂ News that he wants to use his new post to stimulate Canadians'Â interest in literature, and will try to continue his predecessors' practice of maintaining a poem of the week on the poet laureate's website.
Having a Canadian poet laureate position "signals the Parliament's belief in and commitment to literature in Canada," he said. "It raises the profile of literature a bit and I'll certainly try to use the position as an advocate for writing and literature in general in Canada, especially poetry, and keep writing myself."
Steffler was selected by Kinsella and Commons Speaker Peter Milliken from a list of three finalists culled from an open call for nominations in March 2006.
Award-winning novelist
Born in Toronto, Steffler holds an BA in English from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in English from the University of Guelph. He has taught at Guelph and, most recently, at Memorial University's Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, N.L.
"Mr. Steffler has spent a good part of his career teaching others about his craft," Milliken said. "I welcome his appointment to a position that seeks to enhance Canadians' appreciation of the value of poetry in our society."
Steffler's books of poems include That Night We Were Ravenous, The Wreckage of Play and The Grey Islands. A novel, The Afterlife of George Cartwright, was shortlisted for the 1992 Governor General's Award for fiction and won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction award.
Steffler, now retired, lives in Montreal.
The poet laureate's duties include composing poetry, especially for use in Parliament on special occasions, sponsoring poetry readings and advising the Parliamentary librarian on the library's collection and acquisitions to enrich the collection's cultural holdings.
"They say, so far, that there is no requirement to write things on demand for the government. They're just so happy with whatever you produce as a poet," Steffler told CBC News. "But I'm certainly going to try to go beyond that and act as an advocate for writing across the country."
Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
More Books Headlines »
- Writer Richard Wright, musician Paul Shaffer earn honours
- Novelist Richard Wright, author of Clara Callan, and Paul Shaffer, music director for David Letterman's late night talk show, are to be awarded the Order of Canada.
- Acclaimed French writer Julien Gracq dies
- Julien Gracq, who was considered one of France's leading writers of the 20th century and was known for his surrealist style, has died at 97.
- Chuck Norris sues author, publisher of 'The Truth About Chuck Norris'
- Tough-guy actor Chuck Norris has delivered a legal blow to the Penguin Group and the author of a satirical book titled The Truth About Chuck Norris, to prevent the book's distribution.
- Karl Rove sells memoir for more than $1.5M
- Republican strategist Karl Rove will dissect the presidency of George W. Bush in a memoir said to be worth more than $1.5 million US.
- Romance cuts across racial lines, publishers find
- Publishing houses across North American are creating new lines of romances aimed at people of Asian and African descent, according to Brian Miller, a Seattle journalist who follows the market for romance novels.
More Arts Headlines »
- Letterman, Ferguson talk shows back on air Wednesday
- Television viewers eager for fresh material can soon tune in to the Late Show with David Letterman and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, as the programs' production company reached a special agreement with the Writers Guild of America.
- Writer Richard Wright, musician Paul Shaffer earn honours
- Novelist Richard Wright, author of Clara Callan, and Paul Shaffer, music director for David Letterman's late night talk show, are to be awarded the Order of Canada.
- U.S. judge rules Nazi-looted painting belongs to Max Stern estate
- A U.S. federal judge has ruled against a German baroness who spirited a painting out of the U.S. to prevent it from being claimed by the estate of Montreal art dealer Max Stern.
- Jolie tops list of celebrity humanitarians
- Most people see Angelina Jolie as the genuine article when it comes to celebrity humanitarians, according to a Reuters AlertNet poll.
- Egypt ponders bill to copyright the pyramids
- Egypt might seek out copyright on its antiquities, from the pyramids to scarab beetles, in an attempt to collect royalties from the creation of replicas, an official said Thursday.
Arts Features
Blog Watch
Most Blogged about CBC.ca Articles
Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - link will open in new window
