The City of Fredericton appointed their new poet laureate, Jenna Lyn Albert, on January 15th. During her two-year term, Albert will work to bolster the already-flourishing art scene in the New Brunswick capital.
“It feels surreal!” says Albert. “Already I have requests coming in and there’s been a lot of public interest. It shows how passionate Frederictonians are about the arts and poetry in particular.”
It couldn’t be truer. With the city’s universities offering two creative writing programs and the annual Word Feast festival that celebrates literary arts of all sorts, Albert can expect an eager market.
She is no stranger to Fredericton’s arts community either. The University of New Brunswick graduate sits on the editorial board of renowned Canadian literary magazine The Fiddlehead, she’s a first reader of Goose Lane Edition’s poetry submissions, and a former contributor here at The East.
Albert also published her first poetry book, “Bec & Call,” in September 2018 via Nightwood Editions.
One project that Albert is especially looking forward to is her bi-weekly poetry podcast, featuring local literary artists and possibly poet laureate’s from cities across the country.
“While reading poetry is an experience in and of itself, there’s something about hearing a poet read their own work that is entirely unique,” says Albert. “Podcasting is a great medium for that and will be a phenomenal way to spread the word about Fredericton’s incredible poetic talent.”
Possible content for the podcast include writing prompts, book recommendations, and news about Fredericton’s art events.
Albert plans to write approximately five poems per year over the course of her two-year term, with themes ranging from civic events to wherever Albert finds inspiration.
“Ian Letourneau, the former poet laureate, wrote a poem for the tree lighting ceremony and New Year’s Day, for example,” explains Albert. “There’s also the opportunity for organizations to request poems for certain events and I will also have the freedom to write poems as I feel inspired.”
Albert will begin her term on January 28th.