The Winnipeg Arts Council announced today that Di Brandt has been appointed Winnipeg's first Poet Laureate.
The Winnipeg Arts Council announced today that Di Brandt has been appointed Winnipeg's first Poet Laureate. Selected by the Council together with members of Winnipeg's poetry community, Di Brandt is the author of eight collections of poetry and numerous essay collections and other collaborations. A significant Winnipeg poet and poetry advocate for over thirty years, she will continue to contribute to Winnipeg's art programs throughout her term, creating "new works of poetry reflecting life in the city" and faciliating "connections between the arts, the city, and its citizens" according to the WAC press release.
questions I asked my mother, Di's groundbreaking debut book of poetry, was the winner of the Gerald Lampert Award and was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award and the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. Her other numerous prizes and recognitions include three McNally Robinson Book of the Year nominations and one win, three Pat Lowther Award nominations, two Governor General's Award for Poetry nominations, the Trillium Ontario Book of the Year Award, the Gabrielle Roy Prize, and the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award.
We at Turnstone Press are thrilled to see Di and her work recognized in this way and look forward to the next two years under her poetic guidance! As a way to get to know Di's work for yourself, we are offering a 25% discount off of her four books of poetry with us, Agnes in the Sky, Jerusalem Beloved, Walking to Mojacar, and the re-release of questions I asked my mother with an afterword by Tanis MacDonald.
And for a wonderful read about Di's thoughts on Winnipeg, poetry, and poetry in Winnipeg, be sure to check out her interview with the Arts Council.
Turnstone Press Ltd.
