WORDS OF INSPIRATION

Poet laureate looks ahead

As Windsor’s first poet laureate, Marty Gervais set the bar dauntingly high for the next candidate and he had a whole lot of fun doing it.

Under a seven-year term as the city’s cultural guardian, he established Windsor as a front-runner for an innovative reading that brought together laureates from across the country and jammed every corner of Willistead Manor with eager ears for the occasion. He pulled together the literary talents of A Group of Seven Poets to research and write about Windsor’s rich history as part of the city’s 125th anniversary celebrations and he had that group pop up at unconventional locations to read their work as part of Random Acts of Poetry Day.

“It really was a lot of fun,” said Gervais, whose term will finish this fall in lockstep with council’s term. “I set myself a mandate of being able to tell Windsor’s story through writing narrative poetry, and for me, it was the perfect combination.”

A report going before a standing committee dealing with culture notes Gervais “surpassed all expectations. He regularly represented Windsor on the poet’s stage across Canada. He shared his passion for the community everywhere he went, and helped to put Windsor’s poet laureate program on the literary arts map in Canada.”

The report recommends Gervais be recognized as the city’s poet laureate emeritus. In addition to selecting Windsor’s second poet laureate, council is being asked to embrace a youth poet laureate as well.

“I think it’s important to have a youth poet laureate,” Gervais said. “It’s something I’ve addressed because it would reflect the values of a younger crowd and provide a perspective that might otherwise get lost. I would love to help and mentor that person. “

As poet laureate emeritus, Gervais envisions his role as one of “helping people develop their poetry and keeping it front and centre in the culture of the city.” The position of poet laureate was initially a three-year term set to expire in 2014. Enamoured with Gervais’ creative efforts to increase public awareness, council eagerly offered an extension, which Gervais happily accepted.

Gervais made poetry a part of many of the city’s biggest moments, including the tall ships festival, the opening of the Chimczuk Museum and the raising of the Great Canadian Flag.

He put Windsor on the map as the first community to bring together poets laureate from across the country, including Canada’s parliamentary poet laureate, for joint readings.

Through the Random Acts of Poetry initiative, impromptu readings popped up on city buses, in schools, factories and even a local boxing club.

“Through Random Acts we were able to bring poems to the everyday ordinary workplace,” Gervais said. “It’s all been a great experience.”

Gervais describes the task of picking his successor as a daunting one.

“There are so many poets in this city,” he said. “We have people from so many different backgrounds and I think it will show in the candidates. It’s going to be really difficult. I could name six, seven or eight people and any one would be a terrific poet laureate.” The standing committee for social development, health and culture meets Wednesday to consider the report.

We want to see what the community has to say and whether that site is a good fit for everyone involved. STEVE HABRUN, PLANNING MANAGER for transit Windsor regarding A new Bus terminal

Through Random Acts we were able to bring poems to the everyday ordinary workplace.

DAX MELMER City of Windsor poet laureate Marty Gervais says his seven years on the job “really was a lot of fun.” A report recommends that Gervais, whose term ends this fall, be recognized as poet laureate emeritus.