The former poet laureate of Victoria and current writer in residence at the University of Northern British Columbia is in town this week to give readings and meet the community.
Janet Rogers says the role of any artist in society is to “witness and report in creative ways” on the world, and to not be limited by ideas of the right and wrong way to approach art.
As a poet, she strives to break free from convention using video, music and performance to express her words.
A radio announcer by trade, she says you can be successful at all these things without formal training, just like she has been successful.
“That was a fun three year gig, to be an ambassador for a whole city for poetry,” Rogers says of being Victoria poet laureate.
“I hope other cities do that because it helps to promote the arts.”
One interesting theme she explores is First Nations sensuality, an aspect of life she says has been challenged by the oppression and social issues of the past.
She is Mohawk/Tuscarora from the Six Nations band in southern Ontario. However, she was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.
She says she will present examples of “all the different ways I have worked with poetry and that includes page poetry, it includes audio poetry, it includes performance poetry, and it includes video poetry.”
Rogers reads at 1 p.m. at UNBC on wed. Jan. 13 and then at 7:30 Jan. 14 at the Terrace Public Library.