Heart Barabad earned national recognition by placing second in the English stream at the 2025 Poetry In Voice. Photo by Handout /Winnipeg Sun
Winnipeg’s Heart Barabad, a student at Kildonan-East Collegiate, earned national recognition by placing second in the English stream at the 2025 Poetry In Voice / Les voix de la poésie National Finals, held May 15 at Vancouver’s Centre Theatre for Performing Arts.
Barabad delivered compelling recitations of three poems: Fear of Snakes by Lorna Crozier, From the Catalogue of Cruelty by Donika Kelly, and Question: by Susan Musgrave. Her powerful performance captivated the judges and audience, earning her a $2,000 prize and highlighting her deepening connection to poetry.
“I absolutely enjoyed the time that I spent meeting new people from different provinces,” said Barabad. “Everyone was very sweet and welcoming and we all became close in such a short span of time. Despite how far we might come from, both writing and reading poetry is what creates that bridge connecting us and leading to a comfortable and relaxing environment.”
She also reflected on how poetry has become a meaningful part of her life. “As someone who has gradually grown to like poetry, I think I’d like to keep it as a meaningful part in my life. Whether I’m reading it, reciting it, or occasionally writing a few snippets, I believe I’ve grown to develop a kind of calm sense and understanding that I want to carry all throughout. I see poetry as a way of expressing or helping me understand emotions and stories, so to say that having it become a part of me has been a great help, would be true.”
Group photo of the 24 finalists from across the country competing in English, French, and bilingual streams. Photo by Handout /Winnipeg Sun
Tannis Francis, Barabad’s teacher, described the Poetry In Voice program as a vital opportunity for young literary talent in Canada. “The Poetry In Voice competition is a celebration of Canada’s best teenaged reciters,” said Francis. “Our school first has its own contest with the top three students forming our regional team. Our regional team won this year’s provincial contest. The highest scoring student from our team becomes our school’s online representative, filming two poetry performances. Over 10,000 students participate in this process. Heart was then named among the top 24 finalists, judged again, and then earned a place in the top three, which led to her being flown out to the nationals where she recited three poems in total.”
Francis emphasized the broader impact of Barabad’s success: “As a teacher, I see Heart’s achievements as inspiring to her peers. Our first student to place in the finals was in 2019, and from that point, the possibility of a student from Kildonan-East Collegiate making it to the finals again became realistic. Having someone before you model success is such an important pathway, and now Heart has done that for so many of her younger peers at her high school.”
“It is also satisfying to see someone’s hard work be rewarded. Sometimes effort is celebrated, but oftentimes those rewards have to be provided internally. To see a student’s talents and dedication pay off nationally has been a true joy to watch play out.”
The national event brought together top high school poets from across the country, competing in English, French, and bilingual streams, with $18,000 in prizes awarded. The competition also included FutureVerse, a four-day intensive poetry workshop where finalists worked closely with leading Canadian poets.
Barabad’s achievement not only celebrates her talent and dedication but also reflects the strength and promise of Winnipeg’s emerging literary voices. For more information and to view performances, visit Poetry In Voice.