Marie-Célie Agnant, one of the four Maison de la littérature associated writers we are working with, was recently honored by the Canadian government for her commitment to literature. Read more below.
February 1, 2023 – Ottawa – The Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Anthony Rota, announced today the appointment of Marie-Célie Agnant as Canada’s new Parliamentary Poet Laureate, effective January 1, 2023. Ms. Agnant is the 10th poet to hold this office, succeeding Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky Dancer. Marie-Célie Agnant was selected by the Speakers from a short list of candidates submitted by the Selection Committee, chaired by Dr. Heather Lank, Parliamentary Librarian, and composed of Raymond Théberge, Commissioner of Official Languages; Leslie Weir, Librarian and Archivist of Canada; and Jesse Wente, Chair, Canada Council for the Arts (represented by Joanne Larocque-Poirier, Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary). Born in Haiti, Marie-Célie Agnant has lived in Quebec since 1970. Active in the literary scene for 27 years, she has a substantial body of work for which she has won awards both within Canada and abroad. She has published three books of poetry, including Femmes des terres brûlées, which won the 2017 Alain-Grandbois poetry award from the Académie des lettres du Québec. Through her poetry, she explores themes, both timeless and contemporary, such as equality, justice, solitude, the status of women and racism.
