Poet Laureate Plants Trees

As Poet Laureate of Brantford, and as a participant in Random Acts of Poetry, John B. Lee has planted four Poet Trees in the City of Brantford, each one dedicated to a poet from Ontario.  In 2005 the tree was dedicated to Pauline Johnson, in 2006 to Al Purdy, in 2007 to Archibald Lampman, and in 2008 the tree was dedicated to James Reaney.  Each planting was attended by the mayor of the city and was honoured by a commemorative plaque with a few lines from a poem.  This year's dedication was held on October 3rd in Harmony Square with James Reaney Jr. and his mother, Canadian poet, Colleen Thibadeau (Reaney's wife) in attendance.   Reaney's tree is a Sycamore, also called a London Plane.  Next year's dedication will be to Canada's first modern poet, Raymond Knister.  Brantford is a small city with a big heart and this ongoing dedication of Poet Trees is a tribute to Brantford's commitment to the arts in Canada.