David O’Meara, a celebrated poet and Carleton University English graduate, has been appointed Ottawa’s 2024 English Poet Laureate. Known for his intellectual curiosity and artistic depth, O’Meara brings a fresh perspective to the role, which aims to foster creativity and a love for poetry across the city.
“It’s a real honor to be asked,” he said. “There are many interesting and worthwhile things that can be accomplished in this position. I see great value in advocating for art.”
The Poet Laureate program, established in 2017, is designed to inspire community engagement through poetry. Yet, for O’Meara, this recognition comes with a sense of conflict.
“Artists are agents of reflection and dissent and therefore eschew the establishment,” he explained. “I’m always a little uncomfortable being ‘named’ anything.”
Balancing artistic independence with public responsibility will be a challenge, he acknowledged. “Fundamentally, I believe artists work underground. How I balance the position will be the test.”
Following a Legacy of Advocacy
O’Meara takes over from Albert Dumont, an Algonquin elder who served as English Poet Laureate for two years. Dumont used his platform to highlight Indigenous issues and played a key role in renaming the western section of the National Capital Commission’s parkway along the Ottawa River to Kichi Zibi Mikan, meaning “Great River Road” in Algonquin.
While Dumont focused on cultural advocacy, O’Meara’s vision will emphasize the artistic and intellectual exploration of poetry in Ottawa.
A Distinguished Literary Career
O’Meara has made significant contributions to Canadian literature, authoring five collections of poetry and winning accolades such as the Ottawa Book Award and the Archibald Lampman Prize. In 2024, he expanded his creative repertoire by publishing his debut novel, Chandelier.
The novel follows Georgia, a 20-year-old struggling with deep depression after the death of her best friend, as she navigates life in South Korea. Transitioning from poetry to novel writing was an eye-opening experience for O’Meara.
“I want to be surprised continually, and I counted it a success when I was,” he said. “Part of the work was creating characters as vessels for paradox and articulation.”
For him, the essence of storytelling lies in character development. “Character is the essential task; language is its vehicle. Everything flows from there.”
Describing his approach, he explained, “I aimed to create a memorable picture through a jigsaw of the characters’ inconsistencies within a texture of articulation. In that way, it’s much like poetry, but with a heavy foot on the narrative pedal.”
Beyond his writing, O’Meara has played a key role in Ottawa’s literary community. He directed The Plan 99 Reading Series, co-founded VERSeFest, and served as a jurist for the 2012 Griffin International Poetry Prize. His influence extends into music as well—Gord Downie referenced his poem The War Against Television in Leave on In Violet Light, a 2001 album by The Tragically Hip.
Shaped by Carleton University
Reflecting on his literary journey, O’Meara credits Carleton University’s English program for shaping his writing foundation.
“Gaining a wider knowledge of literature—its history, movements, techniques, and applications—was essential. I gained that knowledge in the various courses available at Carleton,” he said.
A workshop with professor and poet Christopher Levenson during his second year was particularly transformative. “It was the first time I’d received feedback from a whole classroom of like-minded but critical students.”
Beyond the classroom, O’Meara immersed himself in campus arts as a member of Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company, Carleton’s independent theater troupe. He even served as the Artistic Director.
“The collaborative effort in those productions was very exciting. And I had some really tremendous professors at the time, notably Ben Jones and Jack Healey. Their dedication and passion for a living and evolving awareness of literature was infectious.”
A Vision for Ottawa’s Literary Community
Ottawa’s literary scene, O’Meara believes, is diverse and supportive. “The city is home to a rich variety of voices,” he said. “For those who wish to show up, the writing scene is very welcoming and energizing.”
Collaboration, he emphasized, is central to artistic growth.
“It’s not creative to think the same way continually,” he said. “Collaboration vexes, in a healthy way, your natural but stubborn instincts. You have to get outside your self-interested aesthetics and accommodate another vision. The result might be a mess. You are giving up control. Ideally, you both are, and the result is not a compromise, but energy.”
For O’Meara, the best creative work emerges from the intersection of different perspectives. “If the right elements come together, the difference of approaches can lift one vision into a wider response.”
As Ottawa’s Poet Laureate, O’Meara is poised to bring that energy to the city’s literary landscape, championing poetry as a means of reflection, connection, and artistic transformation.
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