Poetry in Voice allows voices of young poets to be heard

Poetry in Voice is “a bilingual, non-profit, pan-Canadian organization, and our mission is to bring poetry to Canadian youth. To do so, we offer resources for teachers from kindergarten to Cégep, and recitation and writing contests for their students as well,” explained Ariane Tapp, director of communications and French programming, based in Quebec City.

Poetry in Voice received hundreds of poems from teenagers all across Canada. Only 40 of them were selected by professional writers to be published in the annual journal. This year, English-language poems were selected by Rhea Tregebov (Vancouver) and French-language poems by Valérie Forgues (Quebec City).

“We are lucky tonight to have with us seven young poets, who have been published in this wonderful issue,” said event co-host and French program co-ordinator Barbara Lepeltier. Poets from Montreal and Quebec City stepped onstage to recite their works.

Sonia Kamnitzer presented her poem, “Subway station on a rainy day,” about the Mont-Royal metro station in Montreal. “I write poetry because I really like writing, I find that it’s a nice way to … share your view of the world,” she said.

Sarah-Jeanne Leclerc wrote “Embrasement” about women’s rights. “It is about choices women can’t make anymore in some countries, including the right to do what they want with their bodies,” she explained.

Amina Al-Habbal read her poem “Girlhood,” which she started to write in her grand- parents’ basement two years ago, after watching the Barbie movie. “My poem was written about how it feels growing up as a girl and the struggles one has to go through,” said Al-Habbal, who is now working on a poem about the aging process.

Xavier D’Aquila wrote “Cicatrices,” a very positive and hopeful poem, based on an experience he had had two years ago in Cap-Rouge. “I went on a trip, [and] my bike, the part that turns the chains, just fell off; I fell right in front of a house. I couldn’t go home because my bike was broken and I couldn’t walk. Then I knocked at the door, and a nice lady helped me. She bandaged me, and gave me a chair to sit on until I was ready to walk again. It made me think about how happy some moments [can be]. Even in the darkness, there’s still light.”

David Smith, executive director of Poetry in Voice, said he became entranced with poetry spoken aloud through the slam movement in the 90s, where he saw the power of poetry for students. “Every rock star wants to be a poet and every poet wants to be a rock star, but to really be a good poetry writer, you need to be an excellent poetry reader,” added Smith.

Smith, who has run Poetry in Voice for the last 15 years, said some young poets become actors, educators and professional poets. Tapp said some participants organize their own poetry events and some even become members of the team. For example, Caprice Strgar, the English program co-ordinator, who was a student, submitted one poem last year and finally got chosen for Future Verse. Today, Strgar studies at the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University in Halifax and works with Poetry in Voice. “I think that’s what Poetry in Voice really taught me, … how I want to engage with literature and how I want to engage with students and just the world around me, and that was through poetry and through the education that we provide and through all of these different resources that we bring to the world,” she said.