Media Release

New Mayor’s Poet Laureate Announced

(Wednesday, April 22, 2009) - Mayor Peter Kelly is pleased to announce the appointment of Shauntay Grant as the Mayor’s Poet Laureate 2009/10.

Shauntay is a Nova Scotia writer, spoken word performer, musician, and broadcast journalist. She has shared her vibrant blend of poetry and music internationally at festivals and events, and her original works of poetry and music have been featured nationally on CBC Radio, CBC Television and Vision Television. Her first children's book, Up Home (2008, Nimbus Publishing) received two Atlantic Book Awards for Best Atlantic Published Book and the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. Up Home is also short-listed for the 2010 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards. Shauntay hosts CBC's annual National Poetry Face-Off. She is the host of All The Best, a music program that airs weekly on CBC Radio One in the Maritimes.

“Shauntay embodies all of the attributes we were looking for in a new Poet Laureate,” said Mayor Kelly. “In addition to being an accomplished artist whose work is of relevance to HRM residents, she shares her talent with others by conducting writing, performance and choral music workshops for schools and community groups, and is actively involved with several arts organizations.”

As an advocate for poetry, language and the arts, Shauntay will attend events across the municipality to promote and attract people to the literary world. With the assistance of HRM Cultural Affairs staff, she will engage the community in activities, programs and events that demonstrate the positive impact of literature, poetry, and spoken word. The Poet Laureate's term also includes the creation of a legacy project.

Shauntay takes the reigns from outgoing Poet Laureate, Lorri Neilsen Glenn.

“Lorri is to be congratulated for her four-year term as an ambassador and advocate for literacy, literature and the arts,” said Mayor Kelly. “She truly reflected the vitality of our community through her many appearances and readings at civic events and performances, in addition to her work with HRM youth. “

For more information on the Mayor’s Poet Laureate program and Shauntay Grant, visit www.halifax.ca/poetlaureate

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Contact:

Mayor Peter Kelly
490-4010

Heather MacLeod
Community Relations & Cultural Affairs
490-5912