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Pier Giorgio Di Cicco has authored 17 collections of poetry since 1976 and was a seminal figure in Canadian Multiculturalism with his edition of the first anthology of Italian-Canadian writers and through his collaborative work with the Multiculturalism Directorate, the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council. He was born in Arezzo, Italy, raised in Montreal, Baltimore and Toronto and did post-graduate work at the University of Toronto. In 1984 he removed himself from the world of letters and became an Augustinian Brother, and was subsequently ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood. He returned to the world of literature and education in 2000 with four successive volumes of verse, including "The Dark Time of Angels" which was nominated for the Trillium Award in 2004. In 2004 he was the Emilio Goggio Visiting Professor in Italian Studies at the University of Toronto and appointed by the City of Toronto as its second Poet Laureate.
Toronto's second Poet Laureate: Pier Giorgio Di Cicco (2004 - 2010 )
Di Cicco has extended the role of Poet Laureate beyond the area of arts advocacy and into the realm of "civic aesthetic", a term coined to define the building of a city by citizenship, civic ethic and urban psychology. His monographs and essays have pioneered a study of civility proactive to the design of a city and foundational to the vision of the "urban global". With his "creative manifesto" (delivered before an assembly of national and municipal arts planners and professionals in December 2004) he set a tone for urban self-imaging based on a creative ethic that permeates all sectors of city enterprise. He has championed the abolition of art as "destination point" and the notion of culture as civic ambience and engine of urban prosperity. This philosophy, disseminated electronically, through media and policy networks has found popularity in forums ranging from The Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities, The Creative Cities Project of the Ontario and Toronto governments, to Waterfront Toronto (formerly The Waterfront Revitalization Corporation) and international conferences on urban sustainability. In 2005 he was appointed official "Curator" for the City of Toronto 's Humanitas project, a global showcase where Toronto will host its heritage, vision and strategy for global citizenship.
Di Cicco's urban philosophy has influenced municipal policy in Canada, the U.S. and United Kingdom and has moved the role of the poet laureate into the forum of global engagement in issues that address the urban aesthetic and its relationship to livable and sustainable cities.
Look for the release of his 18th book, The Visible World in the spring of 2006.
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Poet Laureate's speeches and monographs
(All documents are in PDF - format)
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
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The passing of the pen
Dennis Lee (left) and Pier Giorgio Di Cicco. Pier Giorgio was appointed Toronto's newest Poet Laureate in September 2004.
"I am honoured to have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of my esteemed colleague and fellow poet Mr. Dennis Lee," says Pier Giorgio Di Cicco. "It will be with pride and passion that I carry forward the mandate of the Poet Laureate position for the City of Toronto and its residents."
Toronto's New Poet Laureate Dionne Brand
Toronto's First Poet Laureate: Dennis Lee
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