Year One: Poetry, Power & Community Across Ontario

My first year as Ontario’s Poet Laureate has been nothing short of transformative. From classrooms to stages, library halls to festivals, intimate readings to city-wide celebrations, 2024–2025 has been a season of movement, language, and community. I’ve travelled across the province sharing poetry, building connections, and witnessing the powerful ways people show up for art, culture, and each other.

Looking back at the highlights of this first year, I’m filled with profound gratitude. I’m proud to know my name is written in history and I’m excited to continue this great work.

Queens Park – November 26, 2024

A milestone I’ll hold close for the rest of my life. Standing in Queen’s Park with my family, representing my passion for words, art, Hip Hop, and the communities that raised me, affirmed the purpose behind this work.

Speaking at Western University to celebrate the launch of its newly founded Black Studies Major was epic beyond words.

What an accomplishment for the school, for the community, and for the generations who have been pushing for this recognition. I’m blown away by the historical events I got to be a part of in my first year.

Things got beautifully surreal when Dwayne Morgan for “When Brothers Speak” put our faces on a billboard at Sankofa Square. Never in my life did I think I would experience all of these things.

Each gathering reminded me that poetry is still very much a living, breathing force. Talking about spoken word, purpose, healing, and community through these platforms helped expand the dialogue far beyond the stage. I’m grateful for the articles written about my work and this journey. This year brought deep and meaningful conversations that will live on through time.

If this first year has taught me anything, it’s that language whether spoken, written, or performed has the ability to shift a room, a person and a community. Every event, every occasion, every long drive across Ontario reaffirmed the truth I carry with me everywhere:

Everything is created in language. What we say shapes the world, you are what you say you are!

Thank you to everyone who opened their doors, shared their stories, invited me into their spaces, and reminded me that words are powerful because we the people are powerful.

With tremendous gratitude and love,

Matthew-Ray Jones

Ontario’s Poet Laureate