Writer’s Studio instructor appointed Vancouver’s newest Poet Laureate
Congratulations to Writer鈥檚 Studio instructor Fiona Tinwei Lam, who was recently named Vancouver鈥檚 poet laureate for 2022鈥�2024. Also known as 鈥渢he people鈥檚 poet,鈥� the poet laureate is responsible for raising poetry鈥檚 visibility in the city of Vancouver through community outreach projects and events.
In her new role, Lam will kick off the first stage of her legacy project in 2022: a poetry contest aimed at inspiring youth and adults to write poems about significant historical, cultural and ecological sites on the unceded traditional territories of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛蓹m (Musqueam), Skwxw煤7mesh (Squamish), and s蓹lilw蓹ta涩 (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. She will then host a second poetry video and film contest for students in 2023.
鈥淚 feel deeply honoured that the jury recognized my community outreach efforts over many years and unanimously supported my vision and project,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that the poems and videos generated from both contests will educate and engage diverse segments of the public about Vancouver鈥檚 fascinating history, while fostering the writing, reading and dissemination of poetry.鈥�
Lam says she鈥檚 already rolling up her sleeves and getting to work: 鈥淚 feel a bit like a gardener right now, tilling the soil and planting the bulbs so that everyone鈥檚 poetic potential can bloom after a very challenging year and a half.鈥�
Lam鈥檚 previous honours include being shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Award and being selected for BC鈥檚 Poetry in Transit initiative three times. She is the author of three poetry collections and a children鈥檚 book, and has collaborated on award-winning poetry videos that have screened internationally. Her work appears in over 40 anthologies.