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Upcoming Events & Calls for Artists/Poets

Find events and opportunities for artists including calls for public art. Find events and opportunities related to our Poet Laureate programs.

Upcoming Events:

Read, Write, Reflect
Wednesdays, October 1, November 5, and December 3 | 6 - 7pm
FREE | North Nanaimo Library Board Room (6250 Hammond Bay Rd.)
A poetry workshop about Savouring, Wondering, and Daring facilitated by Poet Laureate, Neil Surkan.  

Poetry in the Harbour
Wed., December 10 | 7 - 8pm
FREE | Drop-in | Nanaimo Tourism Visitor Centre (Entrance at 101 Gordon St. at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre)
Join Poet Laureate, Neil Surkan, and special guests for an evening of poetry. December's event features poets Daniel Cowper and Arleen Pare, with special guests, Natasha Overduin and Elke Sorensen.

Daniel Cowper is the author of Kingdom of the Clock, a novel in verse about urban life, Grotesque Tenderness, a book of lyric poems, and The God of Doors, which won the Frog Hollow Press Chapbook Contest. His poetry has appeared in literary reviews in Canada, the US, Ireland, and the UK, and is a contributing editor to New Verse Review. He lives on Bowen Island with his wife and their children. Reviewers have called Kingdom of the Clock "gasp-inducingly beautiful" (MRB), and said its lines "chime with brilliance throughout" (BCR).

Arleen Paré is a writer with ten collections of poetry, based in Victoria, BC. She has been short-listed for the BC Dorothy Livesay BC Award for Poetry and has won the American Golden Crown Award for Poetry, twice, the Victoria Butler Book Prize, a CBC Bookie Award, the bpNichol chapbook award and a Governor Generals’ Award for Poetry.

Current Calls for Artists/Poets:

Call for 2026-2028 Art in Public Spaces Working Group - Now Open!

Deadline: 11:59pm Pacific Time, January 25, 2026
The City of Nanaimo seeks applications for membership on its Art in Public Spaces Working Group, which consists of individuals who serve as knowledgeable volunteers, helping to advance the City’s public art program. More info. 

Call for 2026 Culture Award Nominations - Now Open!

Deadline: 11:59pm Pacific Time, December 1, 2025
The City of Nanaimo is seeking nominations from the community for the 2026 Culture Awards. These awards honour outstanding organizations, groups and individuals who have made significant contributions to the city’s vibrant arts, culture and heritage communities. More info.

Questions?

Please reach out to the Culture & Events team using the info below.

Contact Us

Culture & Events
250-755-4483
cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca

Last updated: November 7, 2025

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