Dionne Brand: Toronto's Newest Poet Laureate

EXCITING NEWS for all those ladies out there who:

A) Love poetry, 

B) Love Canadian authors/scholars, or 

C) Love queer women who can wield the written word to their advantage.

Enter: Dionne Brand.

The woman is all of the above and so much more. As of this week, Ms. Brand assumed the prestigious title of Toronto's Poet Laureate and I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED.

Her powerful and stunning verse/prose/scholarly endeavors have garnered her a ream of national awards and nominations and have secured a place for her among the international heavyweights of the literary world. I mean, to describe her creative efforts as "impressive" is a severe understatement:

• No Language is Neutral (Poetry): Short-listed for the Governor General's Award in 1990.
• Land To Light On (Poetry): Won the Governor General's Award and the Trillium Book Award in 1997.
• thirsty (Poetry): Winner of the Pat Lowther Award; Finalist for the Trillium Book Award and the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2003.
• Inventory (Poetry): Finalist for the Governor General's Award in 2006.
• What We All Long For (Fiction): Winner of the Toronto Book Award in 2006.
• Winner of the Harbourfront Festival Prize, an award honouring individuals who have made a substantial contribution to books and writing in 2006 (I'm sensing 2006 was a STELLAR year for Ms. Brand....)
• Contributed to 17 anthologies, written dozens of essays, made four documentaries for the National Film Board.

*Tries to catch her breath*..... Wow.... WOW...... I need to... get started on work..... and achieving... things.

I think what makes this appointment even sweeter is the fact that Ms. Brand is an out and proud queer woman. Lesbian perspectives, negotiations with gender and race, and feminist free thought act as central themes throughout her work, as does the individual's presence and place within the city (or, in numerous cases, within Toronto). 

As Poet Laureate, Dionne Brand will be Toronto's literary ambassador at various cultural events throughout the city and will advocate on behalf of poets, artists, and linguists across the GTA.

SO. INTENSE. AND. AWESOME.

So, a tip of the hat to Dionne Brand and a glass of champagne to celebrate yet another accolade to add to her collection.