City of Nanaimo seeks next Youth Poet Laureate

Calling all young poets to apply for Nanaimo’s literary leadership opportunity

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed July 16, 2025 10:00 AM

Summary

The City of Nanaimo is now accepting applications for the role of Youth Poet Laureate. Open to youth ages 13 to 24, this unique opportunity invites emerging literary talent to serve a two-year term (beginning January 2026) as the City’s literary ambassador. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 19, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time).

The Youth Poet Laureate plays a vital role in amplifying youth voices, fostering a culture of creativity, inclusivity and civic engagement. Appointed by City Council, the selected poet will create original work, present at civic events and lead youth-focused poetry initiatives in the community. The role is meant to inspire young people to express themselves through poetry and spoken word while creating connection across generations and communities.

The selected Youth Poet Laureate will be mentored by Nanaimo’s current Poet Laureate, Neil Surkan and will have opportunities to collaborate with local partners including the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library. Past Youth Poet Laureates have left an indelible mark on Nanaimo’s cultural landscape, including Kailey DeFehr (2017 – 2018), Valina Zanetti (2019-2021) and Paige Pierce (2024-2026).

Young poets interested in applying should demonstrate a passion for the literary arts, a history of community engagement and a vision for how they would contribute to Nanaimo’s cultural life in the role. Public speaking skills, originality and the ability to connect with youth audiences will also be considered.

Complete guidelines, eligibility details and application information can be found on the Youth Poet Laureate page on the City website

Link to Strategic Plan: The Poet Laureate program aligns with the goals of the City of Nanaimo’s City Plan: Nanaimo Reimagined by recognizing culture as a significant contributor to the city’s quality of life, recognizing and promoting the role that culture and the creative sector play in the community with respect to community identity and quality of life.

Print News Release

Is there anything wrong with this page?

Help us improve our website

Don't include private or financial information in this form.

Email Address

What you were doing

What went wrong

reCAPTCHA failed - Please try again.

Collection and use of your personal information

Information collected on this form is done so under the general authority of the Community Charter and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) and is protected in accordance with FOIPPA. Personal information will only be used by authorized staff to fulfill the purpose for which it was originally collected, or for a use consistent with that purpose. Questions about the collection of your personal information may be referred to the Legislative Services Department at 250-755-4405, or via email at foi@nanaimo.ca. Please also see our Privacy Policy.