POEMS BY ZACH POLIS
NASA
Your voice is what heaven’s made out of. I’ll never work for NASA, but I know what floating feels like.
Romance Poems
I like these romance poems you write to yourself. Maybe you’ll write one for me sometime.
Invisible Spaces
I wish I weren’t here.
I wish I were just the invisible spaces in between your body,
vibrating endlessly.
As I sink into your arms,
I keep this in mind.
The city’s first poet laureate now has a name and a face that is quickly becoming more familiar to St. Albertans.
Zach Polis was announced as poet laureate during Friday’s Teen Poetry Slam event at the library, and already made his first public appearance when he appeared before city council on Monday. He was there not just for his inauguration but also for Mayor Cathy Heron to formally proclaim National Poetry Month, an act that is considered to be among the leaders of Canadian communities as it places a high value on arts and culture.
“A poet laureate is capable of speaking words and feelings that their community cannot, but we all know are true. Poetry is in the cultural air right now and is having a rock star moment. St. Albert couldn’t be engaging with poetry at a better time because of this,” he said during his speech.
“St. Albert is a magical place full of humour, love and has the full range of human experience that everyone feels around the world. We should be sharing our stories, all of us as global citizens. I’m so thrilled to share my voice and perspectives and encourage everyone to get connected with their own personal power, creativity, and to share their stories.”
Polis, a lifelong writer, praised his St. Albert Catholic High School teacher Jill Stewart for her artistic nurturing and gentle encouragement. It was during those years that she gave him the chance to receive his first taste of what it means to be in the spotlight, while reciting a Shakespearean monologue. It was daunting, the self-described “shy and introverted” poet recalled, but he was up to the task and practiced like hell.
“It was actually really shocking. It was the first time that it clicked that using your own voice and your own performance can be really powerful.”
It was when he was taking drama and creative writing at the University of Alberta in 2012 where his artistry really flourished under the tutelage of poetry professor Christine Stewart. His degree with distinction arrived after a number of scholarships and awards for both his playwriting and poetry.
This led to him becoming involved with the Edmonton Poetry Festival where Anna Marie Sewell, then Edmonton’s poet laureate, encouraged him further to work on a project with her because his readings were so strong.
“I think that was probably one of the initial big steps. I do really love performing poetry in public. I’ve done it a lot of times.”
Since then, he has become involved in a number of unique artistic endeavours including releasing My Weird Flamingo, a collection of his poetry, for Edmonton Design Week last year. He has performed on the CBC stage during the Edmonton Poetry Festival, at Alberta Culture Days and during Marty Chan’s Literary Lane at the St. Albert Public Library, as well as in New York with The Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery. He has published poetry and fiction for Latitude 53 and SNAP Gallery. He was shortlisted for the John Poole Award for the Promotion of the Arts for Edmonton’s Mayor's Celebration of the Arts in 2017, and nominated for Emerging Artist at the St. Albert Mayor's Celebration of the Arts both this year and in 2016.
He praised his fellow shortlisted candidates, noting Julia Sorensen’s strong stage presence and vocal musicality and Joanne Osborne-Paulson’s impressive sense of language and precise word choices. Polis said that he intends to involve them both as much as possible during his two-year honorary term.
“This position isn’t going to be just about me. It’s going to be me acting as a lead to highlight other people as well. Julia and Joanne are incredible.”
As for the impact of poetry, his winsome presentation to council seemed to sway the crowd not generally known for its affection for rhyme and verse. He worked hard to make them believers, reading some of his poems but also speaking about the intention of poet laureate and what it could offer the city.
“They’re poetry lovers now. It was really fun to read for them. They were very warm and receptive and open to my speech and my poems. I got the laughs where I was expecting the laughs, which was perfect. I could see everyone was into it.”
“Zach will be a wonderful Poet Laureate and a great ambassador for the written word. He has a gift with words and with making people hear and appreciate them in a new way – a way that is totally fresh and lively and accessible. I’m sure that over the course of the next two years, Zach will make us all a little more appreciative and aware of the power of language,” said Andrea Gammon, the city’s community cultural co-ordinator and poet laureate committee member.
The poet laureate, often referred to as the people’s poet, works as a cultural and literary ambassador, not only serving as a champion for poetry, language, and the arts, but also representing the city during readings at civic functions and public poetry events.
