These wordsmiths are capturing the city’s soul in verse.
The aptly named Marie Metaphor Specht is a published spoken word poet who performs at live poetry events and works with artists across a range of media. Eva Haas, originally from Newfoundland, is a writer, poet and UVic student whose work has been published in the university’s undergraduate literary journal, This Side of West.
They’re also Victoria’s new Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate, respectively, tasked with honouring, celebrating and reflecting the city through poetry for the next two years. The laureates will organize public poetry events, collaborate with local writers and give community readings, while furthering their own work.
After all, says Specht, “Poetry is a way of reaching towards each other; of closing the spaces between us.”