Words aloud spoken word and storytelling festival
Words Aloud presents the best in spoken word from across Canada and beyond. A captivating blend of poetry, spoken word, storytelling, music, workshops, and more.
The Owen Sound Poet Laureate is a program of the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library. Established in 2007, by former Library CEO Judy Beth Armstrong, this program seeks to support and highlight the literary arts in the area. Funded entirely by generous community sponsors, the poet laureate writes poetry about the area, composes poems for special events, participates in public performances, works with local poets and writers, and acts as a literary ambassador for the city and the region. The work of the poet laureate culminates with the creation of a legacy project which is a unique and lasting contribution to the community.
Current poet Laureate
rebecca diem 2024 - 2025
Rebecca Diem writes hopeful speculative fiction and poetry. Her work can be found on Reactor, Write Magazine, and various obscure fanzines, and she is the author of the indie steampunk series Tales of the Captain Duke. She is the Owen Sound Poet Laureate for 2024-2025, known for her ephemeral live events in which the audience is invited to be co-creators.
With a career spanning the public and non-profit sectors, Rebecca’s focus has always been culture and community. She has interned at the United Nations, translated policy into poetry for municipalities, and led the communications for a national book festival for five years. She also hosted the Read the North podcast taking listeners behind the scenes of contemporary Canadian and Indigenous literature.
With favourite writing spots on three continents, Rebecca now calls Grey-Bruce home with her Australian composer husband and ocean-eyed daughter. She is currently finishing her first full-length novel with support from the Canada Council for the Arts while also working on a postpartum poetry collection inspired by beach walks with a sleeping baby.
Website: rebeccadiem.com
TWUC Member’s Profile: https://www.writersunion.ca/member/Rebecca-Diem
Former Poets Laureate
– Liz Zetlin 2007-2009
– Kristan Anderson 2009 – 2011 (youth poet laureate)
– Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm 2011 – 2013
– Terry Burns 2013 – 2015
– Rob Rolfe & Larry Jensen 2015 – 2017
– Lauren Best 2017 – 2019 (children’s poet laureate)
– Richard-Yves Sitoski 2019 – 2023
The Poet Laureate program is hosted by the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library with funding from several members of the community.
The Poet Laureate’s honorarium and other expenses for the current term are covered by donations from Cathy Huntley, Phillip Faulkner, Pat Lorenzo and David Madill, CFP of BMO Nesbitt Burns. Never supported by tax-based funding, the existence of the Poet Laureate program depends entirely on donations from community members who see the benefit of having a local advocate for the literary arts.
Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor of the Owen Sound Poet Laureate program is invited to contact Tim Nicholls Harrison, CEO, Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library at 519-376-6623 ext. 5201.