Cobourg Collegiate Institute Students
The Fresh Voices of Youth
STUDENT ANTHOLOGY
In the fall of 2024, just after the first picnic table of the Picnic On Poetry project was unveiled in the Cobourg Ecology Garden, POETCHRY approached Rebecca Frise, the Lead Teacher of English and English as a Second Language at Cobourg Collegiate Institute. She gathered a group of students with a love of poetry to meet with POETCHRY.
POETCHRY tasked the students with providing content for four picnic tables. They delivered.
THE BARD TABLE, students selected 14 Shakespearean sonnets to be etched onto a single tabletop. Shakespeare is the Poetriarch of an Elizabethan Rhyme Family, the pinnacle of English poetry, don’t ya know. He The Man. BARD TO THE POEM! It seemed fitting to kick off such a project in which poetry is central with an homage to The Bard. 14 sonnets were chosen with a salute to the number of lines in every Shakespearean sonnet. (The number 14 will show up often as events unfold over the years ahead)
SUSANNA MOODIE, students were tasked with selecting five of her poems that they felt represented her work and composing a 100-word biography of the poet. Susanna Moodie arrived on Our Poemtown’s dock in 1832. Her book, Roughing It In the Bush, inspired one of Canada’s greatest poets, Margaret Atwood. This table currently resides at the Cobourg Museum grounds for all to see and read.
Cobourg’s Town Crier, Mandy Robinson, dressed as Susanna Moodie, for the formal unveiling of the table in Victoria Park in celebration of National Poetry Month, April, 2025. She spoke of Moodie’s trials and tribulations, personally and poetically. Susanna Moodie is now one of Canada’s canon poets, and her brief residency in Our Poemtown deserves to be the first of many poets of the Canadian Canon to grace Our Poemtown’s parks.
ARCHIBALD LAMPMAN, students were tasked with selecting five of his poems that they felt represented his work and composing a 100-word biography of the poet. Archibald Lampman briefly resided in Our Poemtown, attending Cobourg Collegiate. Lampman went on become one the leading poets, known as the Confederation Poets. Again, another Canadian canon poet with an Our Poemtown connection, worthy of homage in the first tranche of Picnic On Poetry. The above three tables were curated by Cobourg Collegiate Institute students: Cadence Brak, Sofia Cooksey, Gigi Lees, Leanna Michaud, Afiat Taiyeba, and Kripa Thomas.
COBOURG COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE, STUDENT ANTHOLOGY beckons back to the mid-1960s, when Wally Keeler organized an annual chapbook, Refraction, of student poetry involving students of both CDCI-West & East. The publication continued for five years. Some of the student poets in that chapbook went on to accomplishments and awards of assorted kinds. Poetry raises the stanza of living.
Our Poemtown’s Picnic On Poetry project provides students with their first opportunity to publish their poetry for the viewing public. Cobourg District Collegiate students were tasked with composing their own poetry and curating a table of those poems. Those students under 18 are required to obtain their guardian’s waiver before publishing. The poems on this table were composed by the following students: S.M., Anonymous, T. Hawley, Emersen B., Leanna Michaud, K. T., Adeanna Noel-Campbell and A. L.
(Many students have a mother tongue, not English, spoken at home. It is certainly worth exploring a picnic table of multilingual poetry. POETCHRY will raise this opportunity to the students in whatever manner they might conceive.)
GOING FORWARD
POETCHRY will be approaching St Mary’s Secondary School in the fall of 2025 to request their poeticipation in the Picnic On Poetry project, selecting a Canadian Canon Poet and their own student anthology. Stay tuned, tba.
THE CANADIAN CANON
The project of having students choose the Canon poet and their own anthology provides the opportunity to experience eloquence, articulation, the economy of words, endless permutations of language, all to Make Meaning. And then to find it on picnic tabletops, easy to reach, a short walk from home, birds chatter, a light breeze to tease, a cup of tea and poetry.
This is how poetry becomes approachable, woven into everyday life, not a loud nor garish commercial presentation, but serenely comfortable with the organic setting of a public park. Poetry in bright sunshine, poetry under the stars, stanzas and pizzas, spilled milk, ice cream cone punctuating a poem, bbq sauce smearing the couplet, life, love, out loud, POETRY! The Voice of Choice!
The end result of this part of the Picnic On Poetry project will be a complete library of sample poems from all of Canada’s Canon Poets, those poets that have made a mark on Canadian literary heritage. The research process involves:
Historical Contextualization: Students explore the poet’s life, era, and role in Canada’s literary landscape using library resources, online archives, and public domain texts. They identify key events, influences, and contributions shaping the poet’s work.
Biographical Synthesis: Students distill their findings into a concise 100-word biography, practicing critical analysis and clear, engaging writing to capture the poet’s essence and significance.
Poem Selection: Students read widely from the poet’s oeuvre, evaluating themes, style, and impact to choose five poems that best represent the poet’s legacy. They ensure each poem is under 30 lines, refining their ability to assess literary quality and relevance.
Collaborative Review: Working in teams, students peer-review their drafts, ensuring accuracy, coherence, and alignment with the project’s goal of public accessibility. Teachers guide the process, offering feedback to enhance research depth and presentation.
Picnic On Poetry, the Complete Canadian Canon Poets
1. It transforms public spaces into vibrant, open-air libraries celebrating our nation’s early literary voices.
2. innovative blend of art, education, and public space enhancement strengthens our cultural identity and inspires future generations.
3. fostering intellectual growth, creativity, and community connection
4. It hones research, critical thinking, and creative decision-making skills while instilling pride in Canada’s literary heritage.
5. students leave a lasting cultural legacy, connecting with their community and future generations through public art.