Item - 2019.EC2.1

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:  

1.  City Council appoint Al Moritz (A.F. Moritz) to the position of City of Toronto Poet Laureate for a term beginning April 1, 2019 until March 31, 2022, or until a successor is appointed.

The purpose of this report is to appoint Al Moritz (A.F. Moritz) as the sixth City of Toronto Poet Laureate.

The position of City of Toronto Poet Laureate honours a poet who writes outstanding poetry and has written on themes that are relevant to the people who live in the city. Toronto’s Poet Laureate advocates for poetry and the arts, attracts people to the literary world, and uses their unique perspective to create a dialogue on contemporary issues.

Al Moritz is an internationally-recognized poet and teacher based in Toronto. In unanimously recommending Moritz's appointment, the selection panel pointed to his influential body of work that has profoundly shaped Toronto's literary community. They cited his extensive mentorship of young Toronto poets, and their confidence that he would excel as an ambassador for the literary arts across stylistic, geographic and demographic boundaries.