Poetry In Voice provides Canadian teachers across the country with the opportunity to bring poetry to life. Teachers can invite a poet to their class at no cost to the school. What better way to spark a love of poetry to last a lifetime than a visit from a poet?
How does the Poet In Class program work?
- A teacher logs in to our website (or creates an account and then logs in), searches our network of poets, and submits a visit request.
- Poetry In Voice manages all requests and schedules visits based on proximity and poet availability.
- Prior to a visit, the poet and teacher(s) unpack their expectations and establish logistics.
- After each visit, the teacher(s) and poet complete a brief questionnaire. Poets must confirm through this questionnaire that their visit took place in order to receive their payment.
- If your school would like a visit from a francophone poet, please visit the Poètes à l'école page.
What you need to know before submitting a request
- Visit requests are considered on a first come, first served basis. We recommend that you submit your request in the Fall.
- Poet visits take place between September and June of a given school year.
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Each school is eligible for one free in-person visit (up to three hours) or two virtual visits (one hour each) during that period.
- If your colleagues would like a poet to visit their classes as well, please coordinate with them before submitting your request.
- Once a teacher has filled a request form, other teachers in their school who have an account with us will also receive an email confirming this request.
- If both the teacher and the poet agree to extend the poet's visit or book an additional visit on another day, any extra time must be paid for by the school.
- Be sure you're clear on your school's and/or school board's policies and procedures for authorizing a visit by a guest speaker (e.g. screening procedures, paperwork, etc.). It's your responsibility to communicate any requirements to the poet during the negotiation of a booking, and the poet must agree to the terms before your booking can be confirmed.
Meet the Poets In Class