Wali Shah is the City of Mississauga 2017 Poet Laureate. He will serve a two year term (2017-2019). This honorary position recognizes a poet who writes poetry or spoken word and has written on themes that are important to the citizens of Mississauga. The position holds four key objectives:

• Become the City of Mississauga's literary ambassador both within and outside the City;
• Promote poetry and literary arts within the City;
• Raise the profile of writers in Mississauga; and
• Create an artistic legacy through public readings and civic interactions.

About Wali Shah

As a poet and public speaker, the voice of Wali Shah has reached audiences across the country. From hundreds of schools, TEDx Talks, and collaborations with national organizations such as The CFL and Canada's Walk of Fame, Wali has become an icon for social advocacy and custom curated content.

His performance with Microsoft reached 16,000 people at the Air Canada Center and since then, Wali's personality, style, and captivating delivery, have inspired companies across North America.

Wali recently completed his post-secondary education, graduating from the University of Toronto. He is an ambassador for the Bell 'Let's Talk' campaign, and has helped in raising over one million dollars for United Way.

At 24 years of age, Wali is a creative force, with collaborations that include free-styling with hip-hop artist, Kendrick Lamar. From boardrooms to classrooms, Wali uses his art of story-telling to empower audiences and inspires them to empower others.

2019-2021 Poet Laureate

The City of Mississauga will recognize its third Poet Laureate in 2019. The role of the Poet Laureate is to elevate the status of poetry, literary arts and writers within their communities and beyond.

Submission deadline: March 1, 2019 at 4:30pm EST.