Home / National News / R.I.S.E Founder, Randell Adjei, Named First Poet Laureate Of Ontario
R.I.S.E Founder, Randell Adjei, Named First Poet Laureate Of Ontario

As Ontario's new Poet Laureate, Randell Adjei will serve a two-year term with an office in the provincial legislature at Queen’s Park, and will report to Speaker Ted Arnott. Photo credit: R.I.S.E Edutainment.

R.I.S.E Founder, Randell Adjei, Named First Poet Laureate Of Ontario

TORONTO, Ontario (Wednesday, April 28, 2021) — Scarborough resident, Randell Adjei, has been appointed as Ontario’s first Poet Laureate, following a private member’s bill, to establish the role, in memory of the late, iconic Canadian poet and singer, Gord Downie.

“I welcome Randell Adjei as Ontario’s first Poet Laureate”, said Windsor-Tecumseh NDP MPP, Percy Hatfield, who introduced the Bill, and had the honour of announcing Adjei’s appointment, today, at Queen’s Park.

“As Gord Downie wrote, ‘it’s been a long time running, it’s a long time in coming, it’s well worth the wait’.”

“Randell Adjei is a great communicator and will excite and motivate audiences, in all corners of the province, with his enthusiasm for the written and spoken word,” added Hatfield.

A spoken word poet, motivational speaker, and coach in the Toronto Public Library’s Poetry Saved Our Lives program, Adjei will serve a two-year term with an office in Queen’s Park; and, when public health restrictions lift, he will travel the province to raise the profile of Ontario’s poets and take part in poetry readings and educational workshops.

Adjei was a lead consultant in developing the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy and is founder, executive and creative director at RISE Edutainment, an organization that empowers BIPOC youth in the Greater Toronto Area, to create meaningful art rooted in self-knowledge and self-expression.

Adjei's 2018 poetry collection, I Am Not My Struggles, highlights resilience in the face of adversity, and the power of transforming pain to strength and beauty. Photo credit: randelladjei.com

Adjei’s 2018 poetry collection, I Am Not My Struggles, highlights resilience in the face of adversity, and the power of transforming pain to strength and beauty. Photo credit: randelladjei.com

Hatfield’s bill to establish a Poet Laureate in Ontario received Royal Assent in December 2019, in memory of the influential poet, singer, activist and front-man of quintessential Canadian band, The Tragically Hip, who passed away in 2017.

“The Poet Laureate Bill is a means of paying tribute to, and keeping alive, the memory of Gord Downie for his major contribution to the arts scene in Canada, and beyond,” explained Hatfield.

The Committee to select Ontario’s first Poet Laureate was chaired by Speaker of the Legislature, Ted Arnott, and included: legislative librarian, Vicki Whitmell; Rita Davies, Chair of the board at the Ontario Arts Council; and board member, David Tsubouchi, a former MPP and Cabinet Minister. Their work was assisted by Downie’s daughter, Willo Downie.

Adjei has worked with school boards in the GTA to weave arts into the curricula, and has performed spoken-word poetry around the world, including opening for former American President Barack Obama.

His 2018 poetry collection, I Am Not My Struggles, highlights resilience in the face of adversity and the power of transforming pain to strength and beauty.

“There are strong connections between Gord Downie’s artistic expression, and mine,” said Adjei, who was at Queen’s Park, today, for his installation. “We share a love for the lyric word to bring attention to stories of social injustice, and we have used our poetry to unite others in the understanding of these plights.”

“It’s something I will continue to do as Poet Laureate,” added Adjei, who, as a legislative officer, will report to Speaker Arnott.

“I join all MPPs in congratulating Mr. Adjei on his appointment,” a delighted Arnott told the house. “As Ontario’s first-ever Poet Laureate, we know he will make an extraordinary contribution to the province’s literary arts.”

While Canada and cities, such as Toronto and Mississauga, have long had a poet laureate, Ontario did not, until Hatfield’s legislation passed.

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