Meet Winnipeg’s new poet laureate

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/03/2020 (2007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Earlier this month the Winnipeg Arts Council announced that poet and storyteller Duncan Mercredi is Winnipeg’s new poet laureate.

The poet laureate creates work that reflects the life of the city, commemorates official functions, and develops their own body of writing and performance.

Known for his engaging vivid stories of everyday life, family and nature, the Cree/Métis poet, writer and storyteller is highly respected by fellow writers and community members. Fearless of bringing attention to cultural prejudice, Mercredi’s work serves as a reminder that the sharing of stories has the capacity to build understanding and connection.

“Duncan has always been this town’s poet laureate, really, so it’s nice to make it official,” said fellow poet and novelist Katherena Vermette.

“He’s already done all the work — from his early days as a Main Street poet, his published collections like Dreams of Wolf in the City and The Duke of Windsor, and of course, his many years entertaining and educating students of all ages as a visiting storyteller to schools across this city, province and country. Winnipeg, we are so lucky to have him.”

Mercredi, a longtime Winnipeg resident was born in Misipawistik (Grand Rapids). He has four poetry collections and his work has appeared in numerous publications. He has been featured at storytelling and literary festivals across North America and has been offering workshops to school children all over Manitoba for almost 20 years. The long-standing member of Winnipeg’s Indigenous Writers Collective was last year’s writer-in-residence at the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture. 

Later this year, Wilfrid Laurier University Press will release mahikan ka-onot: The Poetry of Duncan Mercredi, a collection of both his earliest and most recent poems.

Powerful influences from his early life include Maria Campbell’s Half Breed, and J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Other creative influences he cites include Isaac Asimov, John Steinbeck, Tarzan, his grandmother and other storytellers from his childhood community who inspired him.

The spotlight has never been easy for Mercredi. He seems to prefer finding the sacred in the ordinary.

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“I’m more of an isolationist than anything. I don’t like doing readings but I do it reluctantly. I’m a very private person,” he said.

It’s his three grandchildren aged 9, 16 and 24 who energize, motivate and bring him joy in a world that can sometimes judge all too easily.

“My grandchildren give me hope. There is a way that they can reach out, see a better world, the way we treat each other. There is hope, they’re colour blind. A little rainbow walking into the house.”

Mercredi looks forward to writing a little more about his own life in a mixture of poetry, stories and life experiences. 

“My life is based on a true story. I’m ready to be put out there,” he said.

Janine LeGal
Wolseley community correspondent

Janine LeGal is a community correspondent for Wolseley. Know any interesting people, places and things in Wolseley?  Contact her at: janinelegal@gmail.com

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