Poetry in Transit is an annual community engagement collaboration between the Association of Book Publishers of BC (Books BC), TransLink, and BC Transit. Every year, British Columbians are invited to submit their poetry to the project and a jury selects 10 local poets whose work will be shared on transit vehicles across the province. This year’s jury consists of poets Evelyn Lau and Rob Taylor.
The B.C. edition of Poetry in Transit is the longest-running poetry on transit program in Canada. The 28th year of Poetry in Transit is slated to begin on September 28, 2024, launching at the Word Vancouver Festival at UBC Robson Square. Featured poets will be reading their works at the festival, and afterward, a Q&A discussion will be led by former Vancouver Poet Laureate and jurist, Evelyn Lau.
Leslie Bootle, Executive Director of Books BC recently spoke with CBC The Early Edition about the initiative. Listen here.
The 2024-25 Poetry in Transit selected poets and featured books are:
Michelle Brown, Vancouver, BC — Swans (Palimpsest Press)
Dina Del Bucchia, Fruitvale, BC — You’re Gonna Love This (Talonbooks)
Justene Dion-Glowa, Kamloops, BC — Trailer Park Shakes (Brick Books)
Svetlana Ischenko, North Vancouver, BC — Nucleus: A Poet’s Lyrical Journey from Ukraine to Canada (Ronsdale Press)
Donna Kane, Rolla, BC — Asterisms (Harbour Publishing)
Christopher Levenson, Vancouver, BC — Moorings (Caitlin Press)
Bradley Peters, Chilliwack, BC — Sonnets from a Cell (Brick Books)
Michelle Poirier Brown, Vernon, BC — You Might Be Sorry You Read This (University of Alberta Press)
Andrea Scott, Victoria, BC — In the Warm Shallows of What Remains (Raven Chapbooks/Rainbow Publishers)
Tiffany Stone, Maple Ridge, BC — Super Small: Miniature Marvels of the Natural World (Greystone Books)
