Syllabus
‘Poetry and More’ November 22–28, 2026
Registration opens September 18, 2026
Entry deadline: November 18, 2026
Register at https://www.speak-up-canada.ca/
Entry Guidelines
- Fees: $5 per entry or a group of 10 entries for $25. An ‘entry’ is one selection.
- Complete the entry form and submit via the website: https://www.speak-up-canada.ca/
- Maximum 3 entries per session for any performer as a solo, duo or group.
- Entry deadline: Submit student/selection details and fees by November 18, 2026.
- Submit copies only for class #3 (original poetry). Send to d.j.m.speakupcanada@gmail.com by November 18, 2026.
- English translations for poetry spoken in French may be requested.
- Material may be memorized or read.
- Submit video recordings if Zoom scheduling is not workable (how to submit is still to be determined).
- Transcripts of commentary (plus letter grades when desired) sent for each entry.
- Choose several sessions where you could be available.
- Questions? Email Debbie McGladdery: d.j.m.speakupcanada@gmail.com
November Speak Up! Options
Categories for ‘Poetry and More’
- #1 SET Canadian Poems: Choose a poem (or poems) from those suggested for your level.
- #2 OWN CHOICE Canadian Poem: Any poem or song lyrics by a Canadian writer.
- #3 ORIGINAL Poem: Poets performing their own work. Copies required for this category by November 18, 2026.
- #4 I LIKE THIS Poem: Perform a poem by a poet of any nationality – tell why you like it before you start.
- #5 SPEAK SOMETHING ELSE: Working on prose, drama, storytelling, public speaking or a collaboration? This is a quick peek at another form by a writer of any nationality. Maximum 2 minutes. May be read or memorized.
- #6 CONNECT & CREATE: Produce anything such as art, design, writing, research, storytelling, music, choreography, or a story expressing elements of a poem in a different way. Maximum 2 minutes including announcement of poem title and poet.
Class #1: Set Canadian Poems
‘Poetry and More’ November 22–28, 2026
Registration opens Sept. 18, 2026 — entry deadline Nov. 18, 2026
Preschool + Kindergarten +/- 6 years
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are You Coming Out, Sir? | Traditional Canadian | Doctor Knickerbocker and Other Rhymes ©1993 | PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Caleb | Robert Munsch | Never Sink School ©2007, 2011 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Gumbo Baloney | Loris Lesynski | Zig Zag ©2004 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Hic-Hiccup! | Shirley Downey | Mud-Mudelicious Mud ©1999 | (SUL) |
| Jake Jake Garter Snake | Robert Heidbreder | See Saw Saskatchewan ©2003 | (Abe) (SUL) |
| Knock! Knock! | Dennis Lee | Jelly Belly ©1983 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Sparrow | Albert D. Watson 1859–1926 | Canadian Verse for Boys and Girls ©1930 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Unusual Pet | Jane Baskwill | Pass the Poems, Please ©1989 | (IA) |
School Grade 1 +/- 7 years
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backwards Running Dog | John B. Lee | Don’t Be So Persnickety ©2000 | (Abe) (SUL) |
| The Brook in February | Charles G. D. Roberts 1860–1943 | The Wind Has Wings ©1968 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Climbing Shadows | Shannon Bramer | Climbing Shadows ©2019 | (Amazon) (SUL-E) |
| Daisy Time | Marjorie Pickthall | Canadian Verse for Boys and Girls ©1930 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Joe’s Favourite Place | Kalli Dakos | Recess in the Dark ©2019 | (Amazon) (SUL-E) |
| Never Sink School | Robert Munsch | Never Sink School ©2007, 2011 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Polar Bear Buttons | Tiffany Stone | Rainbow Shoes ©2012 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Saskatchewan Sasquatch | Sheree Fitch | If I Had a Million Onions ©2005 | (IA) (SUL) |
School Grade 2 +/- 8 years
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| A February Friend | Jean Graham | Canadian Verse for Boys and Girls ©1930 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| A Warning for Wimpy Kids | Kalli Dakos | Recess in the Dark ©2019 | (Amazon) (SUL-E) |
| Gosh, Oh Gosh | Robert Heidbreder | Shake-Awakes ©2012 | (IA) |
| I Do! Don’t You? | Isabel Ecclestone Mackay | The Shining Ship and Other Verse ©1929 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| I Don’t Need a Poem | Shannon Bramer | Climbing Shadows ©2019 | (Amazon) (SUL-E) |
| Salt Water Bird Rhymes | Al Pittman | The Backyards of Heaven ©2003; On a Wing and a Wish ©1992 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Tyrannosaurus Wrecks | Tiffany Stone | BAAAAAD Animals ©2006 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Worm | Raymond Souster | The Wind Has Wings ©1968 | (IA) (SUL) |
School Grade 3 +/- 9 years
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appetite | Virna Sheard 1862–1943 | Fairy Doors ©1932 | (PG) PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| Daffodil’s Return | Bliss Carman 1861–1929 | The Enchanted Land ©1967; Bliss Carman: Later Poems ©1922 | (SUL) (IA) (PG) PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| If You’re Not from the Prairie | David Bouchard | If you’re not from the prairie… ©1993 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Mercury | Gordon & Bernice Korman | Last Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom ©1996 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Midnight Garden | Jessica Heine | Into the Midnight Garden ©2023 | (SUL) |
| Spider Surprise | Paul Grindlay | sWord Play ©2021 | (SUL) |
| Travel the Trail of Fire | Orville Keon | Images of Nature ©1995 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Vancouver | Florence McNeil | Do Whales Jump at Night? ©1990 | (SUL) |
School Grade 4 +/- 10 years
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentinosaurus | Sheree Fitch | If I Had a Million Onions ©2005 | (IA) (SUL) |
| In Flanders Fields | John McCrae 1872–1918 | New Oxford Canadian Verse ©1983 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Lullaby of the Iroquois | E. Pauline Johnson 1861–1913 | Flint and Feather ©1917, 1931 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Queen for a Day | Jessica Heine | Into the Midnight Garden ©2023 | (SUL) |
| Rot-TEN Dragons | Kari-Lynn Winters & Lori Sheritt-Fleming | Hungry for Math ©2016 | (IA) |
| Sam | Lois Simmie | An Armadillo is not a Pillow ©1986 | (SUL) |
| Today | Jean Little | Hey, World, Here I Am ©1986 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Wild Wolves of Winter | Raymond Souster | Round Slice of Moon ©1980 | (IA) (SUL) |
School Grade 5 +/- 11 years
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Always Here | Shannon Bramer | NightMare Jones ©2025 | (SUL) |
| Bowl of Dew | Louise M. Bowman 1882–1944 | The Enchanted Land ©1967 | PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Fear of the Landscape | Ian Young | Images of Nature ©1995 | (SUL) |
| Going Up North | Dennis Lee | Nicholas Knock ©1967 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Ice Woman/Kalga Jaad | Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson & Sara Florence Davidson | Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii ©2021 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Legend of Glooscap’s Door | Rita Joe | Whispers of Mermaids and Wonderful Things ©2017, 2021 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Paul Bunyan | Arthur S. Bourinot 1893–1969 | ’Til All the Stars Have Fallen ©1989 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Polar Bear Snow | Robert Heidbreder | Don’t Eat Spiders ©1985 | (IA) (SUL) |
School Grade 6 +/- 12 years
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Blue Heron | Theodore G. Roberts 1877–1953 | New Oxford Canadian Verse ©1983 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Getting it On | Robert Currie | Inside Poetry ©1984, 1987 | (SUL) |
| Gwaii Haanas | Jenny Nelson | West Coast Rhymes ©1993 | (IA) |
| How and Where and When and Why | Phyllis Gotlieb | The Wind Has Wings ©1968 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Menu from the Bug House Family Restaurant | Beverly Brenna | Canadian Poems for Canadian Kids ©2005 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Robot Odour | Robert Priest | A Terrible Case of the Stars ©1994 | (SUL) |
| Upper Canada Christmas | Padraig O’Broin (J. Patrick Byrne) | The Enchanted Land ©1967 | PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| You Don’t Laugh | Shannon Bramer | NightMARE Jones ©2025 | (SUL) |
School Grade 7 +/- 13 years
* sonnet
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afterwards | Joy Kogawa | A Garden of Anchors ©2003 | (IA) (SUL) |
| *Blackpoll Warbler | Eric Cole | Open Wide a Wilderness ©2009 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Diver | W. W. E. Ross 1894–1966 | The Wind Has Wings ©1968 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| The Dragon Tree | Fred Cogswell | Whispers of Mermaids and Wonderful Things ©2017, 2021 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Feet | Tom Wayman | Round Slice of Moon ©1980 | (IA) (SUL) |
| *The Rattlesnake | Al Purdy | The Wind Has Wings ©1968 | (IA) (SUL) |
| This is a Photograph of Me | Margaret Atwood | Round Slice of Moon ©1980 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Train Dogs | E. Pauline Johnson 1862–1913 | The Wind Has Wings ©1968; Flint and Feather ©1917 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
School Grade 8 +/- 14 years
* sonnet
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Busking | Barbara Nickel | The Gladys Elegies ©1997 | (SUL) |
| Do Not Disturb | Eric Nicol | Barbed Lyres ©1990 | (IA) (SUL) |
| *The Gulls of Bonaventure Island | Leo Cox 1898–1978 | A New Canadian Anthology ©1938 | (IA) (SUL) |
| If I Could Walk Out in the Cold Country | Elizabeth Brewster | Canadian Poetry 1920–1960 | (IA) (SUL) |
| My moccasins have not walked | Duke Redbird | Til All the Stars Have Fallen ©1989 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Ode on the Mammoth Cheese | James McIntyre 1828–1906 | Poems of James McIntyre, 1889 | (PG) PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| On the balcony of our house in Bombay | Hiro Boga | Red Silk ©2004 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Way of Cape Race | E. J. Pratt 1882–1964 | The Wind Has Wings ©1968 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
School Grade 9 +/- 15 years
* sonnet
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Haunted Road | Norma E. Smith 1886–1948 | A New Canadian Anthology ©1938 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| The Hero’s Grave | Dennis Lee | So Cool ©2004 | (SUL) |
| *In November | Archibald Lampman 1861–1899 | Poets of the Confederation ©1960; Canadian Poetry from the Beginnings… ©1994, 2010 | (SUL) (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| *The Lull | Molly Peacock | Jailbreaks: 99 Canadian Sonnets ©2008 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Moment | Margaret Atwood | Morning in the Burned House ©1995 | (IA) |
| from: Oh, Canada… | Shane Koyczan | Visiting Hours ©2005 | (SUL) |
| Picketing Supermarkets | Tom Wayman | Inside Poetry ©1984, 1987; The Order in Which We Do Things ©2014 | (SUL) |
| Song for Newfoundland | Lillian Allen | Make the World New ©2021 | (SUL-E) |
School Grade 10 +/- 16 years
* sonnet
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Banff | Margaret Avison | Mirrors: Recent Canadian Verse ©1975 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Blue ice, Lake Wonish, 1935 | Greg Santos | Heartwood: Poems for the Love of Trees ©2018 | |
| The Cremation of Sam McGee | Robert Service 1874–1958 | Collected Poems of Robert Service ©1940 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| Dark Pines Under Water | Gwendolyn MacEwan | The Shadow-Maker ©1972 | (IA) |
| Hiawatha’s Heritage | Doreen Makepeace | Barbed Lyres ©1990 | (IA) (SUL) |
| *In an Old Barn | Charles G. D. Roberts 1860–1943 | Canadian Poetry from the Beginnings… ©1994, 2010 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| O Canada a Love Letter | Nancy Wyse | unpublished | with permission |
| Under the Skin | Neil Surkan | On High ©2018 | (SUL) |
School Grade 11 +/- 17 years
* sonnet
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| acne, blood and all things that flow | David Ezra Wang | Best Canadian Poetry ©2021 | (SUL-E) |
| Canoe Lake | Wendy Visser | Myth Weavers ©2007 | (SUL) |
| Cougar | Patrick Lane | Selected Poems 1977–1997 ©1997 | (IA) |
| Instructions to My Mother | Marilyn Dumont | A Really Good Brown Girl ©1996 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The School Globe | James Reaney | The New Oxford Bk. of Canadian Verse ©1983 | (IA) (SUL) |
| *The Statue | Robert Finch | The Penguin Bk. of Canadian Verse ©1958 | (IA) (SUL) |
| Sunset, Lake Huron | William W. Campbell 1861–1918 | Golden Treasury of Canadian Verse ©1958 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| *The Winter Stars | Archibald Lampman 1861–1899 | A Cosmic Treasury ©2023; The Poems of Archibald Lampman ©1905 | (SUL) (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN |
School Grade 12 / Open Adult +/- 18 years
* sonnet
| Title | Author | Source Book | Book Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bull Moose | Alden Nowlan | New Oxford Bk. of Canadian Verse in English ©1983 | (IA) (SUL) |
| from: David | Earle Birney | New Oxford Bk. of Canadian Verse in English ©1983 | (IA) (SUL) |
| The Dread Voyage | William W. Campbell 1861–1918 | Canadian Poetry from the Beginnings… ©1994 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
| In These Canadian Bones | Lillian Allen | Make the World New ©2021 | (SUL) |
| The Last Labrador Duck | Joanna Lilley | Endlings ©2020 | (SUL) |
| My Mother Gave Me | Souvankham Thammavongsa | Best Canadian Poetry ©2019 | (SUL-E) |
| *Poetics Against the Angel of Death | Phyllis Webb | Canadian Poetry 1920–1960 ©2010; Jailbreaks: 99 Canadian Sonnets ©2008 | (IA) (SUL) |
| *Sea Sense | Charles Bruce 1906–1971 | Canadian Poetry 1920–1960 ©2010 | (IA) PUBLIC DOMAIN (SUL) |
Finding the poems
Books are available via school, public and private libraries. Some poems are available in a number of anthologies and/or online.
- (IA) – Book available for viewing on Internet Archive. Make a free account at https://archive.org/
- (PG) – Book may be viewed on Project Gutenberg
- (Abe) – Book available for purchase via Abebooks
- (Amazon) – Book available for purchase via Amazon
- (SUL) – Hard copy of the book is in a Speak Up! member’s library. Available for loan with a donation for postage.
- (SUL-E) – Electronic copy has been purchased by a Speak Up! member.
PUBLIC DOMAIN – Works of poets who died before 1972 are freely available to copy for use in Speak Up! Canada.
Please note: Some festivals require a hard copy of the book containing the poem to be shown at their event. Check that you have access to the source book if carrying the poem on to an in-person festival in 2027.
Speak Up! Canada set poems offer a variety of subject matter and difficulty. Ages and grade levels are suggestions only. Edited or shortened versions of larger poems are permitted. Poems chosen most often will be considered for a Speak Up! Canada Anthology in the future. Vote for your favourites by presenting a Canadian poem in the 2026 November online event.
Typed versions of set poems available upon request from Debbie McGladdery. Email with levels required: d.j.m.speakupcanada@gmail.com