Halifax names new poet laureate
Posted Jun 28, 2013 08:05:47 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Halifax has named a new poet laureate, El Jones, who is a spoken word activist who works with all types of organizations in the community.
She takes over the spot of poet laureate from Tanya Davis who held the position since 2011.
Jones said she plans to work within the city to make poetry available to all and create a shared narrative for the city.
“To me that’s the power of art, that you can go anywhere and just connect with people,” she explained. “I think especially in Halifax we have so many communities, we don’t always know each other and so what i want to do is let everyone know we can tell our stories to each other.”
Jones will be City Hall’s resident poet for the next two years.
She holds a PHD in English and teaches in the African Canadian Transition program at NSCC and in the Women’s Studies program at Acadia.
The poet laureate program is designed to give residents a personal connection to the literary community.
