source: Media Release

The Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library is thrilled to announce that two local artists will jointly hold the position of Owen Sound Poet Laureate for the next term. Rob Rolfe and Larry Jensen have been appointed Owen Sound Poets Laureate 2015 to 2017. "It was very heartening to have five other strong submissions from all over the region," said former Poet Laureate Liz Zetlin. "Larry Jensen and Rob Rolfe have the most impressive combination of experience and vision for the Poet Laureate project," she said.

The Owen Sound Poet Laureate is chosen by the Poet Laureate Advisory Committee. Zetlin, who chairs the three-member committee, said that at first they had some reservations about accepting a joint application. "Having two poets laureate is unprecedented," she said. "We agreed to consider Rob and Larry as a duo only if their combined application reflected something truly unique. And then they blew us away and we had no doubts."

Rolfe and Jensen plan to expand on a collaboration that began about two years ago, developing projects that fuse the spoken word, songs, lyrics and poetry with instrumental music to explore working class stories of Grey-Bruce/Owen Sound, Mudtown and beyond. "We're very pleased because we had an idea of what we wanted to do," said Rolfe. "By having the poet laureate position, we will have an opportunity to make some of these things happen."

Rolfe was a librarian and labour leader in Toronto with a lifelong connection to the Bruce Peninsula and Grey-Bruce region. He spent summers at a family cottage near Sauble Beach. He also had a place in Wiarton for seven years before moving permanently to Owen Sound three and half years ago. He has been writing poetry for almost 50 years and has an extensive and impressive list of credentials. He is the author of three books of poetry, with a fourth being released in the fall. He has written two chapbooks and his poems have appeared in many Canadian literary journals. He has performed at book launches, special events and literary festivals.

Larry Jensen was born in Owen Sound and has been writing and performing music for 40 years, including 20 years at Summerfolk. In fact he was the very first act at the very first Summerfolk in 1976. He has released over 15 albums of original songs and in 2009 he was awarded the first Owen Sound Cultural Award in recognition of his longstanding musical contribution to his home community. He has performed twice with the Georgian Bay Symphony Orchestra as well as at writing and poetry events.

"Whenever Rob came to see me play he would come up to me and say he liked my stuff and that he was writing about the same things as I was," said Jensen. "It was quite remarkable that our subject matter was so similar so we decided to try to put something together." They started by combining work with common themes that they had written independently. Now they are also working on new projects together. "He impressed me and I impressed him," said Jensen. "It's the closest thing to collaboration I've been involved with."

"One of my big interests in writing is to make poetry more accessible to people and also to tell some of those stories that never get told," said Rolfe. "I've written a lot of about Mudtown and working class life in Owen Sound. The poet laureate position gives us a chance to reach a wider audience and talk about things they know about."

"In an art form that's usually so solitary, Zetlin says, "we are fortunate to have two very gifted artists creating a fusion that will take poetry to places it has never been and will enrich Grey Bruce/Owen Sound's cultural life in exciting and innovative ways." The duo will officially take up their duties in October, following their debut on September 30 at the Roxy's Poetry Salon.

The Poet Laureate 2015 to 2017 is a program of the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library with support from the Owen Sound Little Theatre. The program is generously sponsored by John A. Tamming Law, David Madill, CFP of BMO Nesbitt Burns, and Andrew Armitage.