Paul Edward Costa is the City of Mississauga 2019 Poet Laureate. He will serve a two year term (2019-2021). 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 Paul Edward Costa

Paul Edward Costa is a writer, teacher, and spoken word artist. He has published over sixty stories, poems, and articles in literary journals worldwide and performs spoken word at a variety of poetry events as an open mic or featured artist. His novella "Dark Magic on the Edge of Town" was published in 2016 with Paperback-Press, and his book of poetry "The Long Train of Chaos" will be published in August 2019 by Kung Fu Treachery Press. Paul regularly gives talks at meetings of The Mississauga Writers' Group, hosts and curates The YTGA Open Mic Series at Studio.89, and is co-organizer of the Mississauga Arts Council's series Verses Out Loud: A Spoken Word and Poetry Open Mic. Paul earned a Specialized Honors BA in History and a BA in Education at York University. He teaches high school English and History with the Peel District School Board.