(Calgary AB) – Calgary Arts Development and the Calgary Poet Laureate selection committee are pleased to announce the appointment of Clara A.B. Joseph as the 2026 – 2028 Calgary Poet Laureate. The position was formally announced in Council Chambers at Calgary City Hall today, to mark the end of National Poetry Month.
“The Poet Laureate reflects our city through the power of words and language,” says Patti Pon, President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development. “We thank Shone Thistle for their term from 2024 – 2026. Shone’s infinite empathy, kindness and activism make their spoken and written words resonate and connect deeply with audiences and readers. We know Shone will continue to celebrate community and advocate for positive change through their words and their work for years to come.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Clara A.B. Joseph as Calgary’s eighth Poet Laureate. In addition to being a Professor of English at the University of Calgary, she is a celebrated poet whose award-winning work explores memory, family and ethical attention in everyday life. As Calgary’s Poet Laureate, she brings poetry into public spaces across the city, creating opportunities for communities to listen, reflect and share their stories.”
“Poetry begins in listening, and in the discernment that listening requires,” says Clara A.B. Joseph. “In a city such as Calgary, with its many histories, languages and ways of being, I see this role as an invitation to attend more carefully to one another. I hope to help create spaces where poetry is encountered not as something distant, but as a shared practice of reflection, care and connection. I am honoured to serve this city in that spirit.”
Clara A.B. Joseph is a poet and Professor of English at the University of Calgary. Her poetry collections include The Face of the Other, Dandelions for Bhabha, and M/OTHER, which received first place from the Catholic Media Association (US and Canada).
Joseph is also the author of two scholarly books on the history and thought of the Thomas Christians of India: Christianity in India: The Anti-Colonial Turn (2019) and India’s Nonviolent Freedom Struggle: The Thomas Christians (1599–1799) (2024).
As Calgary’s Poet Laureate, she brings poetry to the people through readings, conversations and collaborations with libraries, schools and community organizations. Her work invites communities to experience poetry as a shared practice of listening, reflection and attention to one another.
Further information about Clara A.B. Joseph can be found at:
UCalgary Profile: profiles.ucalgary.ca/clara-joseph
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claara-joseph
Instagram: instagram.com/clarajosephab/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clara-joseph
