Poetry Competition

ADVISORIES

Masks required in all public spacesMasks mandatory in all public spaces – Some exemptions apply
Passholder access only returns to MPSCPassholder access only returns to Meadow Park Sports Centre for all bookings
Select fitness classes resuming in-personSelect low intensity fitness classes have resumed in-person
Lost Lake Nordic Trails are now openLost Lake Nordic Trails are now open for the 2020/2021 cross country ski and snowshoe season
Stick and puck has returned for the new yearStick and puck has returned to Meadow Park Sports Centre for the new year

Annually the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) Public Art Committee invites writers to submit original, unpublished poems for the Poet’s Pause poetry competition.

The poems are displayed at the two Poet's Pause sculpture sites in Alta Lake Park: the large metal chimes art piece titled "Lost in Sound" at the north part of the park and the giant Adirondack chairs titled "Lakeside Couple" at the south end of the park.

Poet's Pause is part of a public art concept created by the late Joan Baron, an artist who developed the two Alta Lake Park sculpture sites with the intention of inspiring creativity.

2020 poetry competition

This year’s winners of the 2020 Poet’s Pause competition:

Kate Heskett’s “Meet me at the Lake” was selected for the theme Togetherness
Victoria Crompton’s “The Eve of Destruction: December 26, 1980” was selected for the theme Listening

The two winning poems will be displayed at the Poet’s Pause sculpture sites in Alta Lake Park over the upcoming year. “Meet Me at the Lake” will be displayed alongside the giant Adriondack chairs piece Lakeside Couple at the south end of the park, and “The Eve of Destruction: December 26^th, 1980” will be displayed with the large metal chimes piece Lost in Sound at the north end. The winners will also receive a prize of $200 each.

This year marks the twelfth annual Poet’s Pause poetry competition. In February and March each year the Resort Municipality of Whistler invites the public to submit original, unpublished poems for the themes of Togetherness and Listening. The program is part of a public art concept created by the late Joan Baron, an artist who developed the two Alta Lake Park sculpture sites with the intention of inspiring creativity.

This year’s competition received 26 poems from 24 poets. The jury selected the winning poems through an anonymous judging process.