Tanya Davis
2011-2012
Mayor's Poet Laureate
If you ever stumble
rest your head on Halifax's shoulder
you will feel bolder
from this city's power
its community a rain shower
and we are flowers,
growing, growing strong
- Tanya Davis
Tanya Davis is a poet. She is a storyteller. She is a musician and a singer-songwriter and she fuses these elements together in a refreshing matrimony of language and sound, side-stepping genre and captivating audiences in the process. With the release of her third album, Clocks and Hearts Keep Going, in November 2010, she affirms her well-earned place in the ranks of thoughtful and hard-working Canadian Artists.
Since bursting onto the Halifax music scene in 2006 with her debut, Make a List, Tanya has garnered praise from industry, audience, and peers, as well as multiple award nominations, including one for her sophomore release, Gorgeous Morning, for the 2009 ECMA Female Recording of the Year. She is a 2 time winner in the CBC National Poetry Face-off as well as the Canadian Winner of the 2008 Mountain Stage NewSong contest. In 2009, with support from Bravo, she collaborated with independent filmmaker Andrea Dorfman to produce a short videopoem entitled How to Be Alone; the short has since been featured at numerous film festivals, including The Vancouver Film Fest, The Worldwide Short Film Festival, and the VideoPoetry Festival (Berlin). It also has 1.8 million views on Youtube.
Tanya also recently completed a feature-length show based in music and performance poetry, as funded by The Canada Council for the Arts; it will be debuted in 2011. She was commissioned by the Canada Games to write and perform a poem at the 2011 opening ceremonies. In June 2011 Acorn Press will publish her first book of poetry, entitled ‘At first, lonely’.
For more information about Tanya visit www.tanyadavis.ca
Past Poet Laureate Activities
2011-2012
Workshops and Events
- Poetry and Performance Workshop, Writers Federation of Nova Scotia, August 23, 2011
- Panel member for Giller Prize Discussion, Spring Garden Road Memorial Public Library, November 1, 2011
- Stanzas in the Stacks, Spring Garden Road Memorial Public Library, January 20, 2012
Penned Poems and the Performances Thereof
- 'There are reasons for these parades' – Written and performed for Halifax Pride on the Pride Festival Main Stage, July 23, 2011
- 'Stepping Stones' – Written and performed at the Canada Games Centre for the Remembrance Day Ceremony, November 11, 2011
- 'You tall, tall tree' – Written and performed for the Boston Tree Cutting Ceremony, Central Argyle, Yarmouth County, November 15, 2011
- 'Let's Fix It' – Written and performed live on CBC Radio One Information Morning Nova Scotia as a part of the Feed Nova Scotia Food Bank Drive show, December 16, 2011
Performances
Visit Tanya's blog with The Coast to read her thoughts as the Mayor's Poet Laureate.
Shauntay Grant
Mayor's Poet Laureate, 2009-2011
 As Halifax's third Poet Laureate Shauntay Grant was active in engaging HRM citizens through workshops, performances, open mics, and community initiatives.
Apart from appearances at numerous festivals, fundraisers, and community events, Grant organized several programs during her term, among them: Canada's first national gathering of Canadian Poets Laureate (July 2010); the Halifax Jazz Festival's Words + Music series (July 2010 and 2011); Free Verse on the Ferry, a poetry reading on the Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry (July 2010); a panel discussion called The How To's of Publishing for Writers, Spoken Word Artists, and Storytellers (February 2011); the youth-led arts for social change initiative Poets 4 Change (workshops and performances held 2010–2011). Grant was also honoured during her term as Poet Of Honour at the 2010 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Ottawa.
BIO
Shauntay Grant is a Nova Scotian writer, spoken word performer, musician, and broadcast journalist. She has shared her vibrant blend of poetry and music internationally at festivals and events.
Shauntay regularly conducts writing, performance, and choral music workshops for schools and community groups. Her original works of poetry and music have been featured nationally on CBC Radio, CBC Television and Vision Television.
Her first children's book, Up Home (2008, Nimbus Publishing) received two Atlantic Book Awards for Best Atlantic Published Book and the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. Up Home is also shortlisted for the 2010 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards.
Shauntay is involved with several arts organizations. She's served as a board member for the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, the Lieutenant Governor's Arts Awards Foundation, and the Nova Scotia Choral Federation. She is also a founder of Word Iz Bond Spoken Word Artists' Collective.
Shauntay directed the 4th annual Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (CFSW), which took place October 2007 in Halifax. She was a member of the 2008 Halifax Slam Team that won first place honours at the CFSW National Poetry Slam in Calgary (November 2008).
Shauntay hosted the 2008 and 2009 CBC National Poetry Face-Off. She is the host of All the Best, a music program that airs weekly on CBC Radio One in the Maritimes.
Call for Nominations
The Mayor’s Poet Laureate 2011-2012
(18-month term)
The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) defines a Poet Laureate as a resident poet or spoken word artist who has achieved excellence and whose work is of relevance to its citizens. The appointee will serve as an advocate for literary arts and reflect the life of the HRM community through program development and community outreach.
Candidacy
Candidates must have resided in HRM for two continuous years previous to the appointment. Candidates must be professionally published according to one or more of the following criteria:
- a trade book or chapbook;
- sufficient audio recording or broadcasting or spoken word performance or public distribution (tapes, videos, CDs, and/or tapes, videos, CDs);
- sufficient print publications in recognized literary journals, anthologies, or periodicals;
- publication in any form which, in the opinion of the committee, is of sufficient poetic achievement to merit consideration.
Candidates will have made a significant contribution to poetry or spoken word and the literary life of HRM.
Candidates must be prepared to accept the responsibilities of the position and be accustomed to citizen engagement and community outreach.
Responsibilities
The position will commence May 1, 2011. As an advocate for poetry, language and the arts, the Poet Laureate will attend events across the municipality to promote and attract people to the literary world.
With the assistance of HRM Cultural Affairs staff, the Poet Laureate will engage the community in activities, programs and events that demonstrate the positive impact of literature, poetry, and spoken word.
The Poet Laureate's mandate also includes the creation of a legacy project that will be unique to the individual.
Staff Support and Resources
HRM staff will administer the position by providing support, such as promotion and project coordination.
Award
The Poet Laureate will receive an honorarium of $3,700 for an 18-month term. The position will be held by an individual who is chosen from the community by a Selection Committee of qualified citizens including representatives from the literary arts community.
Nomination Process
Any eligible poet or spoken word artist may be nominated or may nominate himself or herself. Nominators should inform the poet of their intention.
The application must include the following material:
- Resume and cover letter listing the poet’s eligibility
- A one page document outlining goals for a two year term as Poet Laureate
- Three examples of published work (written or audio), including recent work. For written work this can include a book or twenty pages of recent poetry; for spoken word, a CD or recent recording.
Selection process
Please forward application information, post-dated no later than Monday, March 28, 2011 to:
Siobhan Wiggans, Arts Programmer,
Community Relations and Cultural Affairs
PO Box 1749, Halifax, NS B3J 3A5
wiggans@halifax.ca
For more information contact Siobhan Wiggans at (902) 490-5739 or wiggans@halifax.ca
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HRM Poet Laureate 2005-2008
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