Ahead of National Poetry Month in April, Toronto Poet Laureate Al Moritz has teamed with the League of Canadian Poets to conceive a live series of four evening poetry events beginning today, Tuesday, March 29.
The series, titled Lost Launches, is designed to bring people together to experience and celebrate local poetry while boosting Toronto poets and revealing their collections that could not be celebrated when in-person gatherings were not permitted under public health direction. The free events take place the last Tuesday of each month, starting tonight through June, and will be hosted at Art Bar, located at Clinton’s, 693 Bloor St. W.
Lost Launches is presented by Art Bar in association with the League of Canadian Poets and the City of Toronto. The free series, which kicks off tonight at 7 p.m., aims to showcase and celebrate both established and emerging local poets. Lost Launches will feature a brilliant and diverse cast of Toronto poets including George Elliot Clarke, Joe Fiorito, Catherine Graham, Khashayar Mohammadi, Kate Marshall Flaherty, Jean Eng, Ray Robertson and Lisa Richter.
An advocate for poetry, language and the arts, Toronto’s Poet Laureate attends events across the city to promote and attract people to the literary world. The position, which was inaugurated in 2001, honours a Toronto poet whose work displays excellence and who has written on themes relevant to Torontonians. The Poet Laureate’s mandate also includes the creation of a legacy project that will be unique to the individual. Al Moritz is Toronto’s sixth Poet Laureate.
The City continues to be committed to supporting the literary arts. The Toronto Book Awards have run for over 40 years, showcasing the very best in Toronto literature. The City also supports Canadian literature with its By the Lake Book Club program at Assembly Hall and through grants to writers, literary organizations and collectives via the Toronto Arts Council.
More information about Toronto’s Poet Laureate and the Lost Launches poetry series is available at Toronto.ca/PoetLaureate.
Quotes:
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate National Poetry Month than by celebrating Toronto’s poets and the poetry collections released during the pandemic. The City is committed to supporting artists of all kinds and I encourage Toronto residents to come out to Lost Launches and support these diverse and talented poets.”
– Mayor John Tory
“We hope the Lost Launches reading series can be an inspiring part of the return to in-person togetherness in the Toronto poetry community. The loss of in-person book launches over the last two years was one of the unfortunate impacts of COVID-19. Beginning March 29, the four Lost Launches events will, we hope, be fun and stimulating evenings for Toronto’s poets and poetry lovers.”
– Toronto Poet Laureate Al Moritz
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