The City of Nanaimo is welcoming its new poet laureate, Neil Surkan as he takes on the role of poet laureate to connect people with poetry.
Surkan is an English professor at Vancouver Island University and has an extensive list of published works including his newest chapbook Ruin published in 2023.
Surkan came down to CHLY’s studio to talk about his poetry work and his excitement about the role. He told CHLY he was interested in the role of getting the community into having conversations about the language they use and finding new ways to express themselves through poetry.
Surkan’s two-year term as Nanaimo’s Poet Laureate will begin on December 1 of this year followed by a free holiday poetry showcase at the Harbourfront Library on Thursday, December 5 at 6 p.m. There will be readings by Surkan and youth poet laureate Paige Pierce.
