A new website which will enable Islanders and others to see, hear and post poetry has been launched by recently-appointed Poet Laureate David Helwig. The site is a gateway to the poets and poetry of Prince Edward Island.
When he accepted the appointment as Poet Laureate, David Helwig indicated that he wanted to make Prince Edward Island poetry and poets more accessible to Islanders through an interactive site for poets. The site already contains poems posted by more than thirty poets from across the province, a number of podcasts of poets reading from their own works, a selection of historical poetry written by Islanders, a bibliography of Island poetry and information about upcoming literary events.
One special feature of the website allows poets to post one of their works to share with the public with the option to change the posting every three months. “I want to make it easy for poets to have their work seen and heard by the public,” says Mr. Helwig. “There are some exciting writers in the province and this is an easy way for their work to be shared.”
Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour Minister Carolyn Bertram praised the new site and encouraged people to log on and become more acquainted with the work of our Island poets. “This is a great place to find out about some of the promising emerging writers in the province,” she said. “It is a pleasure to read the poems online and to have the opportunity to hear some works being read by the poets themselves.”
David Helwig was appointed Poet Laureate of Prince Edward Island in January for a two-year term. The position does not have specific duties, giving each poet laureate the latitude to promote poetry and literacy in his or her own way. The website can be found at www.poetrypei.com.