Biography
Rayanne Haines (she/her) is a pushcart nominated poet and an award-winning hybrid author as well as a cultural producer of intersectional films, stage shows, and panels. In addition to hosting the literary podcast, Crow Reads, she recently completed a year as the 2022 Writer in Residence for the Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries. Rayanne is currently an Assistant Professor in the Arts and Cultural Management Program at MacEwan University and is the President for the League of Canadian Poets.
Rayanne has penned three poetry collections - The Stories in My Skin (2013), Stained with the Colours of Sunday Morning (Inanna, 2017), and Tell The Birds Your Body Is Not A Gun (Frontenac, 2021) which won the 2022 Stephan G. Stephansson, Alberta Literary Award for Poetry as well as being shortlisted for both the Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry, and the National ReLit Award for Poetry. Her essay, This is Normal, published in Impact: Women Writing After Concussion (UofA Press), was shortlisted for the John Whyte Memorial Essay Alberta Literary Award. She is a 2019 Edmonton Artist Trust Fund Award recipient. A new hybrid collection of poetry and creative non-fiction is forthcoming in 2024.
Rayanne Haines’s writing has appeared or will appear in The Globe and Mail, Grain Magazine, Minola Review, Fiddlehead, Prairie Fire, Impact: The Lives of Women After Concussion Anthology, Voicing Suicide Anthology, The Selkie Resiliency Anthology, Freefall, and Funicular among others.
Rayanne was the Executive Director for the Edmonton Poetry Festival from 2012 to 2019 and in addition to Poetry in Voice has taught or mentored writers with the Writers Guild of Alberta, The Alexander Writers Centre, and the University of Alberta Extension. She was a previous WIR for Audreys Books.
Rayanne holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management from Queen Margaret University.
Micro-interview
My access to poetry in high school was limited, which is partly why I am passionate about going into schools. My most memorable introduction to poetry came from a particularly exceptional teacher who in grade 11 introduced me to Mary Oliver. The first poem I fell in love with is “Wild Geese,” by Mary Oliver.
I started writing poetry while in college, though looking back I realize I’ve been writing my entire life. I filled many notebooks with poems to try and understand my own place in the world or to make sense of growth and loss. I believe everyone has a poem in them, they only need support to bring it out. I began to formally consider myself a poet after my first chapbook was released in 2013. I believe all poetry must come from a place of intimacy and vulnerability.
I believe it is the poet’s job to question, to seek answers, to share experiences. A poet cares about the emotion of a subject and often deals with difficult and intense subject matter. A poet’s job is to study the nuances of language and to dissect language to find its purest form in order to tell a story. It is also important for a poet to engage their community in discussion, teaching, and sharing. The wonderful thing about poetry is that it is a fully accessible art form that anyone can take part in without extreme cost or any more supplies than a pen and paper. Poetry affords everyone the ability to share their voice. And that's the most powerful job of the poet.
“From thirsty,” by Dionne Brand
Dionne Brand is one of those exceptional poets whose writing style and personal engagement combine on the page to create truly brilliant poetry. Ms. Brand’s work is notable for the beauty of its language, and for its intense engagement with issues of social justice, including particularly issues of gender and race. In her collection Thirsty she offers an indelible portrait of a multicultural city. I believe her ability to use sparse language to discuss complicated topics and emotions is something all poets should study and strive for. For those younger poets or students, learning her work offers a glimpse into how to use language effectively.