Jenna Lyn Albert will host a public meet and greet, Feb. 24 at the Tipsy Muse Café.
Matt Carter
In January of this year, Jenna Lyn Albert was named the City’s new Poet Laureate. In one of her first public engagements, Albert will be hosting a meet and greet on February 24 where she and former Cultural Laureate Ian Letourneau will share some of their work inspired by the city and invite others to do the same.
“We are having a free, family-friendly reading at a new local business, the Tipsy Muse Café,” said Albert. “Ian Letourneau, the City’s prior Poet Laureate, and myself will be reading some of our poetry about Fredericton at the event, and there will be an open mic at the end to allow community members the chance to share their own poetry.”
The position of Poet Laureate was created in 2016 as part of the City’s Cultural Plan in a move to inspire creative dialogue in relation to the city and to encourage further engagement with the arts.
Albert is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick and is a member of Fiddlehead Magazine’s editorial board. Deeply immersed in the city’s literary community, she is a first reader of poetry submissions for Goose Lane Editions and has volunteered with the UNB Reading Series, the New Brunswick Book Awards and QWETRY Magazine. Her debut collection of poetry, Bec & Call, was published by Nightwood Editions in September 2018.
“The poet laureate position is about community engagement with the arts at its very core, but what I find particularly beautiful about this opportunity is that it encourages creation,” said Albert. “Of course, part of my role is creating poems about Fredericton while I am Poet Laureate, but the projects I have in mind focus on encouraging the creation of art by Frederictonians and exposing them to poetry in new ways. Giving locals the chance to take in our talented poets and artists through community events like coffee houses and workshops, as well as accessible resources such as a podcast, can encourage others to dabble in poetry and the arts.”
The February 24 event is free and open to the public.
“I hope residents feel comfortable coming out to meet me, and I am open to suggestions and questions about my position as Poet Laureate.”
Poet Laureate Meet & Greet | February 24 | Tipsy Muse Café | 2 p.m.
