Poet Laureate
Crafting a Voice for Tofino!
The Tofino Poet Laureate acts as an ambassador of literacy, writing poetry that celebrates, commemorates and comments on significant events and issues in the community.
Call For Performers: Poetry in Translation
Tofino's Poet Laureate invites creative artists and multi-language speakers to participate in Poetry in Translation. This event is a unique performance exploring poetry across languages and creative disciplines.
This is an opportunity to bring poetry to life through spoken word, movement, music, or other creative expressions. Participants will develop their performances through a series of workshops leading up to the event, with an estimated time commitment of 8–10 hours.
How to Get Involved:
- Select a poem (or prepare a creative presentation)
- Register for a language or creative discipline
- Attend workshops & rehearsals
- Perform at the event!
Register by March 7, 2025
Call For Poetry
Tofino’s Poet Laureate is inviting local writers and residents to submit poetry inspired by public art found throughout the community. Selected poems will be published in an anthology celebrating Tofino’s public art.
How to Participate
- Write a poem about a piece of public art in Tofino.
- The artwork must be displayed in a public space and accessible for all to enjoy.
- Provide a photograph of the artwork, its name, the name of the artist, and the location of the work of art.
Multiple submissions are welcome.
Need inspiration? Visit Tofino Arts & Culture Walk for a guide to public art around Tofino.
Deadline for Submissions: May 31, 2025
Submit your poem(s) to:
- Email: moc.liamg@etaerualteoponifot
- Mail: Tofino Poet Laureate c/o Janice Lore, Box 205, Tofino BC, V0R 2Z0
Current Poet Laureate
Janice Lore 2024 - 2026
Photo: Nora Boileau Morrison
Janice Lore has had a life-long love of poetry and theatre, and has written poetry, plays and stories since she was 7 years old. “Writing,” she says, “is one of the ways I make sense of the world.” As Tofino’s 2024-2026 Poet Laureate and longtime Tofino resident, Janice can be found around town performing poetry and facilitating community events that celebrate local poets and other creatives.
Janice was raised on a farm in southern Alberta, and comes from a large family of entrepreneurs. In 1994, she moved to Tofino BC, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Janice ran her own accounting business for almost 40 years while writing poetry, creative non-fiction, fiction and plays, and collaborating with other artists on various performances. She has the ubiquitous novel in a drawer (as well as a play!) and is still trying to write a poem about a dream she had, in which she was looking for the balancing accounting entry for a poem.
Janice’s work has appeared in various anthologies and literary magazines, and on CBC Radio. She is interested in multi-disciplinary art projects and is inspired by collaborating with other artists. She scripted and staged a performance of her poetry chapbook, Ipsissima Verba, a “found” poem about math, philosophy, definitions and a middle-aged woman’s life. Her first commissioned work, “Requiem for the Fridge”, was written on the door of a dead refrigerator. She also makes handmade books to showcase her poetry.
Janice is a member of the Clayoquot Writers Group and Federation of British Columbia Writers, and an associate member of the League of Canadian Poets. She is a founding member of Performance Anxiety Collective, a performance poetry collective, which first presented its work to the public in December 2011. She is also a member of The Diversity Project, a performance group formed to explore universal themes through a tapestry of art forms. Their first show, Unwrapping Fear, was performed in 2014.
I Mention This Because - Presented at the Opening Ceremony for Headwaters Housing on June 7, 2024.
The Flush of Our Success - Presented at the Wastewater Treatment Plant ceremony on August 22, 2024.
Watch: Full Performance | The Smooth Moves - Surfin' In Our Poo
Past Poet Laureates
Click the dropdown menus below to learn about past Poet Laureates and their contributions to Tofino’s literary and cultural landscape.
Contact
To learn more about the Tofino Poet Laureate program, contact:
Karen Habib
Culture & Events Programmer