Poet laureate spearheads book of stories of locals who have shaped Calgary
Long known as an avid supporter of the arts, community developer and homebuilder Brookfield Residential is jumping on the philanthropic bandwagon, joining the City of Calgary and others to bolster a new project spearheaded by Calgary’s poet laureate, Sheri-d Wilson.
The project, entitled YYC POP: Portraits of People, will be a book length anthology, a collection of short vignettes, penned by Calgarians that will illustrate stories and portraits of local people, both living and historical, who have shaped the city of Calgary, in ways big and small.
“This is really all about unearthing great stories of creating community and I wanted to embrace the broader whole of Calgary, not just the inner-city and the writers and poets,” says Wilson.
That said she has put out a call to Calgarians and expats living across the globe for submissions of poetry, prose/poetry, or flash fiction.
Submissions should offer a written portrait about a Calgarian who has touched the life of the writer and who keenly represents the spirit and identity of Calgary now, as the city changes and evolves.
“A city is characterized by its people and as Calgary transforms, we ask you to look as a community at what our identity is today. Who are we now,” she asks.
Wilson, who was born and raised in Calgary and has lived across the globe while digging into her writing, is hoping that the anthology will shed some light on the question.
Sophie Gowsell, adviser corporate communications at Brookfield Residential, a sponsor of Calgary’s poet-laureate program and longtime supporter of the arts, explains that Brookfield stepped up to partner with the YYC POP project because of its belief that arts and culture play a larger role in creating the best places for people to call home.
“As a longtime community builder, we understand the importance of arts and culture in creating a vibrant city and have always ensured support of the Calgary arts scene,” says Gowsell.
Local publisher Frontenac House will publish the anthology, which will launch in April during National Poet’s Month, kicked off with a series of readings by YYC POP’S writers and poets to be held at the new Central Library and at the theatre in Brookfield Residential YMCA in Seton.
Submissions not selected for publication in the book will be published online.
“I can’t think of anything more perfect than to support a book written by Calgarians, about Calgarians, for Calgarians and then performed by the poets and writers in an event that will bring the community together,” says Gowsell.
The deadline for submissions is Nov. 30.
For more information, including submission guidelines, please visit www.sheridwilson.com.