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Editor's Note: This story previously appeared on StratfordToday.ca.
Quinn Mayer is the first-ever youth poet laureate in Stratford.
Born and raised in Alberta, Mayer moved to Monkton in 2019. The Grade 12 Stratford District Secondary School student draws from personal experience to help craft verses.
“Despite only living in Ontario for six years, I have a lot of connections to Stratford,” Mayer said. “Not only do I attend school here, but I've also taken part in several extracurriculars and volunteer opportunities in the city, including Scouts and the Stratford Pride Community Centre.”
The poet laureate role will last for three years, while Mayer's role will last one before a new youth poet laureate will be named.
“Being the inaugural poet laureates, they will be spending the first little while helping Destination Stratford and the Library design the program,” said Stratford Library CEO Krista Robinson. “The poet laureates will be required to create a certain number of poems, and present them to the community, and they may run or participate in programs to raise the profile of the literary arts, especially poetry and spoken word. The Adult Poet Laureate will also mentor the Youth Poet Laureate. This is an important program because by creating poetry related to local history and experiences, a poet laureate program can help document and preserve our community's unique identity.”
Mayer was first introduced to the idea of being the youth poet laureate by an english teacher at SDSS.
“I was immediately interested in sharing my love of poetry with other youth,” Mayer said. “I was also excited to expand my knowledge of poetry, maybe get some mentorship through the adult poet laureate, and to engage with the community.”
David Stones was named Stratford’s first adult poet laureate and will be mentoring and assisting Mayer throughout his term in the role.
“As the youth poet laureate, I'll be representing Stratford's youth through the literary arts, and I'll be writing poetry that uplifts marginalized voices and reflects relevant social issues within the community,” Mayer said. “Since this is a pilot program, I get to have a say in what kind of events and activities we'll get to run. I'm hoping to do some workshops and poetry readings that centre youth.”
The program is a three-year pilot project between Destination Stratford and Stratford Public Library and is in collaboration with the City of Stratford’s Community Services Department. Seven judges shortlisted all the applicants down to three before making their final decision.
“During the selection process, I had to answer questions about myself and what my vision for the role would be,” Mayer said. “I also had to submit some samples of my poetry. After that was the wonderful interview—I got to chat with the selection committee about what I envisioned for the program. I was pleasantly surprised when I was told that I had been selected... I think sometimes I doubt myself and my abilities, but I am confident that I'll be able to make a positive impact on the community in Stratford. It truly is an honour to be Stratford's inaugural youth poet laureate.”