Calling all Canadian poets: your work could be featured on the TTC! If you’ve written a poem that you think will resonate with commuters in Toronto, Poems in Passage is now accepting submissions from writers across the country. Your work could be displayed on Toronto buses, subways, or streetcars, inspiring thousands of riders on their daily commutes.
Poems in Passage is an initiative that launched earlier this year, partnering with the TTC to showcase short poems from 11 emerging and established artists, including Britta Badour, Lillian Allen, and Najwa Zebian. Now, the program is opening up to accept work from any Canadian who wants to share a poem. Submissions are open now until September 30th—the selected poets will receive a cash prize and have their poem featured on TTC vehicles during the 2025 season.
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This project not only adds a much-needed dose of art and imagination to public spaces, brightening daily commutes, but also provides a platform for the incredibly talented artists of our city. Poems in Passage is committed to elevating diverse voices, and their selection process prioritizes work from traditionally underrepresented and equity-seeking groups. This year, they are also accepting poem submissions in Indigenous languages specific to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.
“The idea of Poems in Passage was born out of nostalgia and a deep-seated belief in the power of words,” said co-founder Addesse Haile, who launched the initiative with his friend Latif Murji, inspired by a previous Toronto program called Poetry on the Way. “We wanted to resurrect a cherished memory from our youth, turning it into a conduit for creativity and representation for our city.”
See here to learn more and apply for the Poems in Passage 2025 season. All poems/excerpts should be 15 lines or fewer and be suitable for a general audience. Applications are open until September 30.
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