2025 Anne Szumigalski Lecture, delivered by Matthew Ray “Testament” Jones скачать в хорошем качестве

2025 Anne Szumigalski Lecture, delivered by Matthew Ray “Testament” Jones

The League of Canadian Poet’s 2025 Anne Szumigalski Lecture was delivered by Ontario Poet Laureate Matthew-Ray “Testament” Jones. Themed "More than Words: Poetry for Transformation", the lecture and poetry reading explored how poets can wield language as a force of transformation, shaping not just words on the page but identities, beliefs, and systems. To write powerfully is to claim your voice and through it, your personal truth. Testament focused on how building a sustainable, soul-aligned writing practice can honour your growth as both an artist and a human. He discussed how to cultivate creative discipline as a spiritual practice, how to work through resistance, and how to keep your fire burning without burnout. Established in 2002 and modelled after the Margaret Laurence lecture series, the Anne Szumigalski lecture series presents an annual lecture from a distinguished Canadian poet on craft, culture, and community. Past lecturers have included Billy-Ray Belcourt, Louise Bernice Halfe-Sky Dancer, Tolu Oloruntoba, Alice Major, Lillian Allen, Anne Carson, and Dionne Brand, among others. These lectures have ranged from deeply academic to profoundly creative, and have engaged questions of social justice, politics, and identity in their explorations of poetry.