A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) of Arezzo were the first to be crowned poets laureate after the classical age, respectively in 1315 and 1342. In Britain, the term dates from the appointment of Bernard André by Henry VII of England. The royal office of Poet Laureate in England dates from the appointment of John Dryden in 1668.
George Elliott Clarke, is a Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic who served as the Poet Laureate of Toronto from 2012 to 2015 and as the 2016–2017 Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate. His work is known largely for its use of a vast range of literary and artistic traditions, its lush physicality and its bold political substance. One of Canada's most illustrious poets, Clarke is also known for chronicling the experience and history of the Black Canadian communities of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that he has coined "Africadia".
Alden Albert Nowlan was a Canadian poet, novelist, and playwright.
Ajmer Rode is a Canadian author writing in Punjabi as well as in English. His first work was non-fiction Vishva Di Nuhar on Albert Einstein's Relativity in dialogue form inspired by Plato's Republic. Published by the Punjabi University in 1966, the book initiated a series of university publications on popular science and sociology. Rode's first poetry book Surti influenced by science and philosophical explorations was experimental and in words of critic Dr. Attar Singh 'has extended the scope of Punjabi language and given a new turn to Punjabi poetry'. His most recent poetry book Leela, more than 1000 pages long and co-authored with Navtej Bharati, is counted among the outstanding Punjabi literary works of the twentieth century.
Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey, was a Canadian educator, poet, anthropologist, ethno-historian, and academic administrator.
Fred Cogswell CM was a Canadian poet.
Frederick James Wah, OC, is a Canadian poet, novelist, scholar and former Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate.
Elizabeth Winifred Brewster, was a Canadian poet, author, and academic.
The Fiddlehead is a Canadian literary magazine, published four times annually at the University of New Brunswick. It is the oldest Canadian literary magazine which is still in circulation.
Goose Lane Editions is a Canadian book publishing company founded in 1954 in Fredericton, New Brunswick as Fiddlehead Poetry Books by Fred Cogswell and a group of students and faculty from the University of New Brunswick associated with The Fiddlehead. After Cogswell retired in 1981, his successor, Peter Thomas, changed the name to Goose Lane Editions. From 1989 to 1997 Douglas Lochhead was president of Goose Lane. It is now headed by publisher and co-owner Susanne Alexander. The Canada Council for the Arts says the publishing company "has evolved to become one of Canada's most exciting showcases of home-grown literary talent."
Mary Dalton is a Canadian poet and educator.
Heather Spears was a Canadian-born poet, novelist, artist, sculptor, and educator. She resided in Denmark from 1962 until her death in Copenhagen in 2021. She returned to Canada annually to conduct speaking and reading tours and to teach drawing and head-sculpting workshops. She published eleven collections of poetry, five novels, and three volumes of drawings. She specialized in drawing premature infants and "infants in crisis".
Robert Billings was a Canadian poet and editor.
Brian Henderson is a Canadian writer, poet, and photographer, whose book of poetry Nerve Language was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for Poetry in 2007.
Patricia Young is a Canadian poet, and short story writer.
John Barton is a Canadian poet.
Kelly Cherry was a novelist, poet, essayist, and a former Poet Laureate of Virginia (2010–2012). A resident of Halifax, Virginia, she was named the state's Poet Laureate by Governor Bob McDonnell in July 2010. She succeeded Claudia Emerson in this post.
Maureen Hynes is a Canadian poet.
Susan Elizabeth McCaslin is a Canadian poet and writer.
Clara Kathleen "Kay" Smith was a Canadian poet in New Brunswick.
