What does the 'voice' of Windsor, Ont. sound like?
Calling all poets, storytellers, writers and photographers in Windsor, Ont.
Your city wants to hear from you.
Windsor's Voices, a new initiative put on by the city's poets laureate and storytellers, hopes to showcase submissions from people who make the border city what it is.
And that concept is widely open to interpretation. Anyone ages 14 and up, from any background, is encouraged to participate.
"Windsor residents will have a chance to show glimpses into their daily lives [with this initiative]," said Chidera Ikewibe.
Ikewibe is Windsor's current youth poet laureate, and one of the individuals who will be evaluating the submissions.
Windsor's new youth poet laureate Chidera Ikewibe speaks to CBC host Nav Nanwa. (Nav Nanwa/CBC)
"I hope to see the city through the eyes of others [and] grasp new perspectives on the city, from the newest and youngest, to the oldest."
The initiative began accepting submissions on Dec. 18, and the process will be open until Feb. 16, 2024.
Windsor's current poet laureate, Peter Hrastovec, says the distinctive nature of the city will likely lead to a striking and unique combination of submissions.
"We have 104 languages spoken here, people from 150 different countries," he said.
"It's amazing the amount of energy and synergies there are to create the community that we are."
Peter Hrastovec, Windsor's poet laureate and evaluator for the 'Windsor's Voices' initiative. (Josiah Sinanan / CBC News)
There are two themes those considering submissions are being asked to select from.
The first option is a response to the prompt, "What does Windsor mean to you?"
The second is simply, "weather," which coincides with the theme of the League of Canadian Poets for this year's National Poetry Month.
A similar initiative happened over the course of the pandemic, where selected pieces by local writers were featured at the Windsor Regional Hospital, on billboard and on digital screens throughout the city.
"For some people [in 2020], that was their first foray into writing. We all have our own stories to tell, and we've created some new poets and writers [in Windsor] as a result," said Hrastovec.
The public can expect to see some of the photos, poems and stories up on city-owned facilities on television screens and walls in April of 2024, to mark National Poetry Month.
Selected works will also contribute to a special online magazine and a keepsake bookmark collection.
Some of the screens in the lobby of the Chimczuk Museum will host selected submissions from local artists who add to the 'Windsor's Voices' initiative in the Spring of 2024. (Josiah Sinanan / CBC News)
"Windsor's voice is a large melodious sound," said Hrastovec. "People singing together, richly from the heart and song that echoes through everything and anything we do. That's what makes this city a great place."
Selected works and more information will be given by March of 2024. Submissions are open now.
