Winnipeg poet Chimwemwe Undi selected as Canada's 11th parliamentary poet laureate
Chimwemwe Undi served as Winnipeg's 3rd poet laureate from 2023-24
A Winnipeg poet will serve as Canada's 11th parliamentary poet laureate for the next two years and hopes to encourage more people to engage with the genre.
Chimwemwe Undi was selected as the 2025-26 parliamentary poet laureate and began her term on Jan. 1, Raymonde Gagné, Speaker of the Senate, and Greg Fergus, the Speaker of the House of Commons, announced on Wednesday.
Undi was Winnipeg's poet laureate in 2023-34 and is also an editor and a lawyer with Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP.
Her debut full-length collection of poems, Scientific Marvel, won the 2024 Governor General's Award for poetry.
Her poetry explores themes of gender and belonging, racism, immigration and language, a government news release said.
Poetry has comforted and challenged Undi to think about the world in new ways and she hopes it will enrich people's lives as it has for her, the news release said.
Fergus said her poetry "addresses complex issues with eloquence" and resonates deeply with diverse audiences.
Gagné called Undi a "remarkable talent and influence."
Undi has been a part of Manitoba's poetry community for more than a decade. She is the recipient of a CBC Manitoba Future 40 award and a Winnipeg 150 Medal.
Poet laureates may write poetry for use in Parliament, sponsor poetry readings and provide advice on the Library of Parliament's collections, the Parliament of Canada website says.
The position of parliamentary poet laureate was created in 2001 under the Parliament of Canada Act.