Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is challenging his counterparts across the country to open a council meeting in March or April with a reading by a poet. The annual Mayor’s Poetry City Challenge commemorates UNESCO’s World Poetry Day on March 21, as well as National Poetry Month in April.
More than 70 municipalities participated in last year’s challenge, initiated by the League of Canadian Poets, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, and the City of Calgary. “The creative industries in Canada are an important part of what makes our country a great place to live,” said Nenshi in a release. “I’m looking forward to once again challenging other Canadian cities to use their Council Chambers as a platform to encourage, uplift and promote the art of poetry.”