Coventry City Council

10/11/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/11/2023 02:40

Coventry Libraries announce new Poets Laureate!

Pictured with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress are (left to right) Hawwa Hussain, Aamani Kanda, John Bernard, Emilie Lauren Jones.

Coventry City Council and Coventry Libraries are excited to announce two new Coventry Poets Laureate for 2023-25.

John Bernard and Aamani Kanda have been awarded the titles of Coventry Poet Laureate and Coventry Young Poet Laureate at a launch event which took place at Central Library on Tuesday 10 October 2023.

John Bernard (Adult Poet Laureate) is a gifted poet and rapper. He was a finalist for BBC Words First 2020, toured with BBC Bitesize, helping young people to get into creative careers, and was commissioned by Formula 1 Silverstone 2023 to write and perform poems. He strives to be a voice for the unheard, a source of inspiration, and a catalyst for positive change.

Aamani Kanda (Young Poet Laureate) has a unique developing voice. She is currently studying for her A-Levels and is hoping to bring a passionate advocacy to this role through her poems and create a real sense of community.

The Coventry Poet Laureate and Coventry Young Poet Laureate are honorary positions which will involve writing poems to commemorate significant moments, giving performances of their work and encouraging an interest in poetry across the city.

John has now been offered a place on Writing West Midlands Development Programme, whilst Aamani has been given free membership of Writing West Midlands Spark Young Writers Programme.

The event also saw the farewell of current Poets Laureate for 2021 - 2023, Emilie Lauren Jones (adult) and Hawwa Hussain (young person) who became Coventry's first Poets Laureate as part of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 and have been outstanding in their roles.

Cllr Dr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "Congratulations to both John and Aamani on their amazing achievements in becoming the new Poet Laureates. I am really looking forward to seeing more of their fantastic work and the rich culture they will bring to the city.

"Thank you to Emilie and Hawwa who have been remarkable as Coventry's first ever Poet Laureates. They helped celebrate our year as UK City of Culture, promote Coventry nationally and internationally, and build a legacy in the city for future talent."

Photos from the event can be found on the Council's Flickr account.

Published: Wednesday, 11th October 2023