Toronto Poems

The City is about stories Yours, mine, what we want to hear Look, Listen, Linger

The City is for People
By Honey Novick

Add to the map

To submit a poem, please provide the following information:

Title of the poem
Poet's name
Title of the book or magazine where the poem was published

Poems should be:

Set in a neighbourhood or location in Toronto. (The official boundaries for the city are Steeles Avenue to the north, the Rouge River to the east, Etobicoke Creek & Highway 427 to the west and Lake Ontario to the south.)
Published in a book or magazine

we are unfinished humans
in an unfinished city
— Corrado Paina, "Embrace the Walls" (from Souls in Plain Clothes)

Welcome

With the help of Toronto’s fourth poet laureate George Elliott Clarke, Toronto Public Library has created a new way to explore the city through poetry.

Using the map

Select a map marker to see excerpts of poems associated with that location. Follow the links to borrow the poetry books from the library.

Beyond the map

Check out our list of Toronto poems that aren’t associated with specific geographic points.

Image of Al Purdy statue in Queen's Park

Toronto Poetry Map