Skip to content

Aubin's tenure as poet laureate comes to an end

Chances are that you've been at an event sometime over the past two years where Daniel Aubin has recited one of his poems. Greater Sudbury's poet laureate said the opportunity to share his poetry with others has been a highlight of the position.
161213_Daniel_Aubin
Greater Sudbury poet laureate Daniel Aubin performs at La Nuit émergente in March 2013. Photo by Joël Ducharme.
Chances are that you've been at an event sometime over the past two years where Daniel Aubin has recited one of his poems.

Greater Sudbury's poet laureate said the opportunity to share his poetry with others has been a highlight of the position.

Aubin, whose term as poet laureate expires in January, said he believes poetry “is meant to be heard.” To that end, his poetry contains a lot of alliteration, or repeating the same sounds, which makes it pleasing to the ear.

He also strives to make his work accessible to most people.

“A signature of mine is alternating between French and English and trying to make it so that anyone who can only understand one language wouldn't be bored with lengths in any one language they didn't understand.”

The Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario communications officer and former Le Voyageur reporter — who received $1,000 for his term as poet laureate — was thanked for his efforts in the position at a Dec. 12 event.

The event was put on by the Greater Sudbury Public Library in conjunction with the Sudbury Hypergraphic Society and the Ontario Poetry Society.

Aubin began writing poetry as a teenager, but credits the late award-winning poet Robert Dickson — one of his professors at Laurentian University — for helping him push his literary efforts to a new level.

He's now had two books of poetry published.

Being named poet laureate was definitely humbling, Aubin said, especially as he immediately followed Roger Nash, the city's first poet laureate, whose writing is well known in the city.

“Poet laureate almost seems like the kind of thing you'd confer on someone who's already had a long, illustrious career as a writer, and I'm really just starting out,” he said.

Aubin's advice to the next poet laureate is to make the position their own. He said he definitely filled the role in a different fashion than Nash, who founded a literary e-zine called "Terra North".

“If it's less about reading original works at municipal events for them and more about doing poetry workshops with young people, then that's what they'll do,” he said. “They'll do it in their own way.”

Greater Sudbury Public Library will be accepting applications from those who wish to become the city's next poet laureate from Dec. 19 to Jan. 31.

The position is open to published anglophone or francophone poets. They must be recognized for their literary achievements and have demonstrated leadership skills and public speaking capability.

For more information on applying for the position, visit www.sudburylibraries.ca starting Dec. 19 or email [email protected].

@heidi_ulrichsen

Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.




Heidi Ulrichsen

About the Author: Heidi Ulrichsen

Read more