Here at the Barrie Public Library, we believe poetry is important because it uniquely captures and communicates human emotions, experiences, and perspectives, fostering empathy, reflection, and cultural heritage. Join us as we celebrate National Poetry Month this April!
What is National Poetry Month?
National Poetry Month takes place every April to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada’s culture. This celebration was started by the non-profit organization The League of Canadian Poets (LCP). They are dedicated to supporting poets, building poetic communities, supporting inclusive free expression, and promoting Canadian poets and poetry.
The theme for this year’s National Poetry Month is family. Celebrate National Poetry Month 2025 using the theme FAMILY in its many forms: found and chosen family, birth family, and family that defies categorization.
Attend Poetry Night with Jessica Bebenek and Christine Wu
To celebrate National Poetry Month, we're excited to host these two accomplished poets as they stop in Barrie during their province-wide book promotion tour. We invite you to join us on Tuesday, May 27, from 6:30-7:30 pm at the Downtown Library. Learn more by visiting our Events Calendar.
Jessica Bebenek is a queer interdisciplinary poet and educator from Tkaronto (Toronto) who now splits her time between Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) and an off-grid shack on unceded Anishinaabeg territory. In 2021, Bebenek was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust of Canada RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Her writing has been nominated for the Journey Prize and Pushcart Prize, and she is the author of eight poetry chapbooks.
Jessica's debut poetry collection No One Knows Us There is coming out April 8, 2025. Place a hold today!
Christine Wu is a Chinese-Canadian poet whose work has appeared in journals including The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Contemporary Verse 2, The Temz Review, and LooseLeaf. She holds a BFA from the University of Victoria, an MLIS from Dalhousie University, and is currently a graduate student at the University of New Brunswick, where she serves as co-managing editor of Qwerty. Originally from the West Coast, Wu now lives in Kjipuktuk (Halifax).
Christine's poetry debut Familial Hungers was released in February 2025. Place your hold today!
Celebrate Online
LCP will be sharing content to celebrate poetry all month long. Follow @CanadianPoets on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop.
LCP also encourages you to share poems (original or not) on social media under the hashtag #todayspoem. Using this hashtag is a great way to discover new poets and performers through social media.
Borrow a Title From Our Poetry Collection
We also encourage you to browse our poetry collection to join in this month’s poetry celebration:
To learn more about National Poetry Month, visit the League of Canadian Poets website.