It’s an honour to tell you all that I have joined the Board of Directors for Edmonton Poetry Festival. A spot on the Board was left vacant by Mary Pinkoski, who was named this year as Edmonton’s Poet Laureate. In April, Words with Friends put on a BYOV event for the festival and I had the opportunity to get to know Rayanne Doucet, the festival’s Executive Director, a little bit. I also helped out the festival’s Communications Committee by attending some festival events and tweeting about them. At that time, I had expressed interest to Rayanne in becoming more involved with the festival, but had no idea I might be considered for a Board position. Rayanne offered me the slot in October, and I jumped at it.
I’m still a bit awed by the people who I will be sitting next to in this role, including former Edmonton Poet Laureate Anna Marie Sewell, Alice Major and Jannie Edwards, who I have connected with a few times over the last 18 months or so as part of Words with Friends events. I’m looking very forward to learning the ropes, working with the veterans on the Board to put on the 2014 festival, and getting even more involved as a volunteer advocate for poetry in Edmonton. Each Board Member sits on a committee, and I believe I will be sitting on the Festival’s Communications Committee, which should be a nice fit for me.
I’ll be attending my first official Board Meeting on December 16, as the November meeting was cancelled due to bad weather. Can’t wait to get in the groove!