Heidi Sander, a renowned poet from Stratford, is leading a new initiative aimed at offering Canadians a creative outlet to express their feelings in these challenging times. The Canada Is Our Poem Prize is a national competition that encourages people to reflect on their identity and what makes Canada unique by sharing their thoughts through poetry.
The initiative, which began on March 4 – the same day a trade war erupted between Canada and the United States due to U.S. tariffs – is especially relevant, according to Sander. She sees the timing as appropriate given the stress and uncertainty many Canadians were feeling that day.
“I felt that today, in particular, we needed something like this,” Sander said. “Any initiative that brings people together really inspires hope and unity. The goal is to use art and culture to help us understand ourselves better. Poetry, in particular, helps simplify complex issues and brings a deeper understanding of them.”
Through this project, Sander hopes to strengthen the bonds that unite Canadians. She wants people to express their emotions candidly, using poetry as a tool for personal reflection and collective understanding.
“The poem someone submits may come from days or even weeks of thought as they process their feelings,” Sander explained. “But I also hope this prize will be the starting point of a nationwide celebration of Canada’s identity. Poetry can create a shared sense of understanding, and I believe this contest can spark that conversation.”
The winner of the competition will receive a $1,000 prize and will be included in an anthology of the top 200 entries, set to be published later this year by Blue Moon Publishers. In addition, the winning poet will receive a one-year access to Sander’s multimedia Pathways to Poetry course.
Sander is excited about the possibility of hearing diverse perspectives through the competition. She believes the poetry will reflect the wide range of emotions Canadians are experiencing.
“I’ve written a lot about this in recent weeks because poetry is a cathartic outlet for me,” Sander said. “Writing helps me express my thoughts, and if this contest can help others do the same, then that’s wonderful. I’ve been volunteering poetry workshops at Wellspring Cancer Centre, and the issue of Canada’s current challenges has come up often. The response has been uplifting when participants shared poems about what’s happening in the country.”
Sander expects the entries to span a wide emotional spectrum, from hopeful to angry, and sees this diversity as crucial to the creativity the contest aims to foster. “I don’t know exactly what we’ll see, but in times like this, the arts are a point of connection and healing,” she said. “I want to play a part in this national conversation. We are at the beginning of something, and I hope many people will share their voices.”
The competition will remain open until Thursday, July 31, at 11:59 p.m..
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