Iqaluit student selected for national poetry program
Gray Mike one of 16 youths heading to FutureVerse in Calgary
Iqaluit student Gray Mike, 16, will soon be heading to Calgary for the FutureVerse poetry program. Mike is one of 16 students from across Canada selected for the five-day poetry workshop that will include chances to learn from established writers. (Photo by David Venn)
Iqaluit student Gray Mike has dreams of becoming a self-published poet.
Soon, the 16-year-old Inuksuk High School student will learn how to become just that when she heads off to the 2023 FutureVerse national poetry program in Calgary.
Mike is one of 16 students from across Canada selected to attend the intensive four-day series of workshops that will give participants the opportunity to develop their poetry with well-known authors, publishers and activists.
Students in the program, which will run from April 17 to 21, will take part in writing workshops on subjects like mental health and addiction, activism, Indigenous literature and decolonizing poetry, publishing and how to become a professional in the field.
Then for a year after FutureVerse, participants will continue to meet online to share ideas and grow as writers.
Mike began writing poetry about a year ago.
She said she found putting pen to paper helped her express herself in a way she couldn’t do out loud.
“A lot of it is based on my mental health, feeling alone, or heartbreak like breakups that I’ve been through,” she said of her writing.
The Grade 11 student submitted an application of about two dozen poems to the program. She said her family is “really proud” of her for being selected.
Mike said she’s looking forward to stepping out of her comfort zone during the poetry workshops.
“I’m looking forward to expanding my writing,” she said.
“I do want to become self-published, so I’m hoping that there’s someone in Calgary that could help me understand more of that.”
Everything about this seems great, except activists using the event as a recruiting drive.
Got to find something to complain about even with a positive story.
Your refusal to acknowledge the reality that is going on around you is nothing to revel in sanctimony about. Your comment is predictable and indicative of a very superficial way of thinking.
And there is a BAM that will go over a lot of heads.
What’s wrong with activists and activism? If a student feels that one of the issues their teachers is an activist of is something they want to start using their poetry to fight for then let them. Having a voice for something is good and being taught how to use one’s skills to be an activist is great. So how bout you shut up and be happy for this young woman.
Congrats Gray! You have a lot of people who are proud of you and I hope that we will be able to read some of your work someday :)!! Ajungii!!!
I didn’t realize that they need to specify activism in order to write poetry. Shouldn’t it come from each writer’s soul, otherwise it’s not really poetry, but a weird agenda they’ve got going.
Congratulations young Lady , whisking you great success in your endeavours.
Good Luck??
whats wrong with those guy writing strange weird things Topic ?Guys,The Subject of the story here is a Lovely Little girl who need our support and encouragement instead of yealling comment at each other to see whos the smartest and dummyest of the nasty weirdo bunch ? back to the focus of the story; (her,the student) i wish you good luck and cultiyate your creativity,never give up,literature and a future as a Writter is but a Noble one in deed,congradulation,Mike,Good girl,good student,good writer