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The Okanagan Proudly Proclaims Its First Poet Laureate
When William Makepeace Thackeray wrote, "The two most engaging powers of a good author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new," he could well have been thinking of John Lent. Lent celebrates the urban and natural landscapes of southern British Columbia in a series of jazz-inspired meditations presented in a laid-back, conversational style. He celebrates those crazy mysteries and backbeat moments when you catch a big and strange idea sideways before it disappears, leaving you feeling triumphant for no good reason at all.
Lent's newest publication in a long string of creative successes, Cantilevered Songs, stresses the typically unstressed - those throwaway moments during walks and hikes - and holds these recollections up to a light that is prismed by experience. Gazing from these various angles, Lent takes his own advice: "Play that song. Play it again. Now, improvise," and the poems become song.
The Okanagan Institute has declared a unique Citizen's Proclamation (shown below) bestowing the honour of "Poet Laureate of the Okanagan" on Lent, with the following statement: "Whereas John Lent has long been a key member of the creative community, has supported other artists, and fostered the arts, in many ways during his 20-plus years in the Okanagan as a dedicated educator, writer and musician; therefore to honour his contribution to the creative and cultural life of the Okanagan, Canada, Okanagan College, and his students - that, for the term of 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011 John Lent be declared as Poet Laureate of the Okanagan, and we call upon all citizens of the Okanagan Valley and beyond to join with us in celebrating this appointment."
 John Lent's professional achievements combined with his literary output may represent an unparalleled career in the Okanagan. More than thirty years teaching literature and creative writing at Okanagan College and current employment as the Regional Dean for the North Okanagan only hints at his extensive curriculum vitae. Founder of an institute and press for working writers merely suggests the influence he has had on many aspiring poets and creative writers. And his list of poetry, fiction, short stories and non-fiction publications as well as extensive work as an anthologist, editor, and writer in residence in Canada and internationally, are small indicators of his impact on our literary scene. Finally, John Lent is a polished public performer, comfortable both on stage and on radio, with a long history as a singer/songwriter and musical entertainer. He lives in Vernon with his wife, the artist Jude Clarke, and plays in The Lent/Fraser/Wall Trio, a jazz and roots group.
 "It's a crazy game this writing life. You just go ahead doing what you're doing - in my case teaching and writing and singing - and you don't stop and wonder about the fame and glory end of it. There is no fame and glory, it's the writing itself. It keeps you young. But you wake up one morning and 30 years have flown by, and you discover you've written nine books, and you wonder, 'how did I ever do that?' and you just feel lucky."
Cantilevered Songs is a book of poems about living in the Okanagan. "I have always been mesmerized by two things," says Lent. "First, the thick texture of our day-to-day lives as they fly up around us; the people you meet on a morning walk; the colour of this place, its detail; and second, the way the head and the heart register those things, the rhythm and awareness of the body ticking away in all its random rushes." The poems try to mimic those rushes and that randomness, he adds.
"I composed these poems as if I were playing an instrument. They tumbled down the page like notes from a saxophone. They surfaced like jazz suites."
TO REQUEST A READING OR VISIT FROM JOHN LENT, POET LAUREATE CLICK HERE
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