Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild is delighted to announce Aya Skouta as the 7th Youth Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027 and Lynda Monahan as the 12th Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan with a term of August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2028.
Thank you to our outgoing Poet Laureate Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye (2024-2026) and Youth Poet Laureate Tai Reign (2025-2026) for their service!
The Saskatchewan Poet Laureate and Youth Poet Laureate celebrates Saskatchewan—its people, spirit, land—through the literary arts, and act as an ambassador and champion of poetry and writing. The Poets’ commitment to writing, passion for poetry, and community engagement through their positions will raise awareness of the power of poetry and engage all residents, including youth, in the written and spoken word.
Commencing in 2000, the Saskatchewan Poet Laureate Program was the first provincial program of its kind in Canada. The Youth Poet Laureate position was created in 2019. The Poets Laureate are under the patronage of the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, Her Honour the Honourable Bernadette McIntyre.
Saskatchewan Poet Laureate Lynda Monahan is author of five poetry collections, A Slow Dance in the Flames (Coteau Books, 1998), What My Body Knows (Coteau Books, 2003), Verge (Guernica Editions, 2015), a cowritten collection, A Beautiful Stone: poems and ululations (Radiant Press 2019), The Door at the End of Everything (Shadowpaw Press, 2024) and a chapbook titled The Book of Bill. She has been writer-in-residence at St. Peter’s College facilitated retreat, Balfour Collegiate in Regina, the Prince Albert Public Library, and writer-on-the-wards at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert. She recently completed a year as lead artist for an Artists in Communities project through SK Arts, mentoring local artists to develop long-term community arts programming.
Youth Poet Laureate Aya Skouta (she/her) is a Canadian-Moroccan poet, writer, and student at the University of Saskatchewan. As a youth voice, Aya uses poetry and spoken word to navigate the complexities of identity, philosophy, and curiosity about the world. She has published and shared her work across Canada and the Prairies, moving audiences at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam 2026 in Vancouver, and capturing the title of Saskatchewan poetry slam champion in 2025 and 2026 with SKribe. Throughout her growing artistic journey, Aya remains grounded in the belief that curiosity is the heart of poetry, and she is committed to fueling that spark of curiosity within young writers.
Objectives
- To celebrate the spirit of the people and place of Saskatchewan through the literary arts.
- To raise the profile of poets in Saskatchewan.
- To elevate writing as a vocation.
- To raise awareness of the power of poetry and the spoken word.
- To act as an Ambassador for writing in general, poetry in particular and for the SWG.
Criteria
The Poet Laureate will:
- have a significant body of work, including a minimum of two books of professionally published poetry or 3-5 years of public feature/paid performance history, outside of open mics, for spoken word poets
- have achieved recognition for the literary merit of his/her work;
- have a record of public involvement in the literary life of the province; and
- be a current resident of Saskatchewan.
The Youth Poet Laureate will:
- demonstrate a commitment to writing, with a passion for poetry and/or spoken word;
- have some record of public involvement in the writing culture of the province;
- have some form of formal or informal professional development;
- be between the ages of 18-30 years old; and
- be a current resident of Saskatchewan.
If you are interested in working with a Poet
Now accepting applications to work with our Poets after August 11! Please note requests will not be processed by SWG staff until August 11.
Thank you for your interest in working with our Saskatchewan Poet Laureate or our Youth Poet Laureate! Please share details on your request in the form below. If you prefer to discuss by email or phone, please contact Program Director Yolanda Hansen at programs@skwriter.com or 306-791-7743.
Our staff will be in touch to ask questions and to let you know if our Poet is available for your event. You should receive a response within 3-5 business days.
Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and the popularity of the Poet Laureate program, we may not be able to approve all requests. Funds are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to communicate with us at least 4-6 weeks before your event. The following criteria are important to our decision making:
- Whether this request fits within the objectives of the program (see above). For the Poet Laureate, preference will be given to public events that fit the program objectives, over private or closed events. Schools interested in poetry-related workshops may access the Author Readings Program or may request our Youth Poet Laureate.
- Availability of our Poet Laureate or Youth Poet Laureate
- Availability of funds (we have a limited budget - your organization's contributions are greatly appreciated)
- If our Poets have already been to your organization in the past fiscal year (Aug-July). Please note that we can only approve one request per year (Aug-July) per organization, ie. one visit per school, library, organization, etc.
Current and previous Poets Laureate
- Lynda Monahan, August 1, 2026 - July 31, 2028
- Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye, Aug 1, 2024 - July 31, 2026
- dee Hobsbawn-Smith, Aug 1, 2023 - July 31, 2024
- Carol Rose GoldenEagle, August 1, 2021 - July 1, 2023
- Bruce Rice, April 1, 2019 - July 31, 2021
- Brenda Schmidt, April 1, 2017 - December 31, 2018
- Gerry Hill, January 1, 2016 - January 17, 2017
- Judith Krause, January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2015
- Don Kerr, January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2013
- Robert Currie, January 1, 2007 - December 31, 2010
- Louise B. Halfe (Sky Dancer), January 1, 2005 - December 31, 2006
- Glen Sorestad, December 1, 2000 - November 30, 2004
Current and previous Youth Poets Laureate
- Aya Skouta, Aug 1, 2026 - July 31, 2027
- Tai Reign, Aug 1, 2025 - May 12, 2026
- Dash Reimer, Aug 1, 2024 - July 31, 2025
- Lauren (Lo) Klassen, August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2024
- Warsha Mushtaq, August 1, 2021 - July 31, 2022
- Peace Akintade, August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021
- Alasdair Rees, April 1, 2019 - July 31, 2020
If your organization or writers’ group would like to work with the Poet Laureate or Youth Poet Laureate, we encourage you to read the information in the "If you are interested in working with a Poet" section above and submit an request form. If you'd like to discuss your idea or have questions first, please contact the Program Director:
Program Director
T: 306.791.7743
E: programs@skwriter.com
