Laurent Poliquin

Laurent Poliquin (born June 12, 1975) is a Franco-Manitoban poet, visual artist, educator and a community activist. He is a member of the Green Party of Canada.

Biography
He studied philosophy at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières and completed a MA in French studies at the University of British Columbia. In 1999, he moved to Winnipeg and completed a Bachelor of Education at Université de Saint-Boniface, for which he was awarded the prestigious Government of France Award. He works as a journalist and radio host before becoming a teacher. In 2008, he began a doctorate in French studies at the University of Manitoba (Canada) after holding editorial functions at Éditions des Plaines (2003–2009). In 2009 he was introduce as a member of the research center Young People's Text and Culture of the University of Winnipeg (CRYTC) and works as an editor for the international journal Youth: Young People, Texts, Cultures. He is also an honorary member of the International Scientific Council of the magazine Otago French Notes of New Zealand. He is the author of fifteen books.

Winner of the Alliance Française Award in Molsheim (Alsace) in 2002, Poliquin participated in the Toronto International Book Fair (2003), the Salon du livre de Paris (2007), the Trois-Rivières International Poetry Festival (2001, 2003 and 2005) and the Winnipeg International Writers Festival (2001 to 2010). His poems have been published in Quebec (Le Sabord, Moebius and Ellipse), in Canada (Contemporary Verse 2, Canadian Literature) in France (Poésie sur Seine, Casse-Pieds, Le Temps des Cerises) and Italy (Ibiskos Editrice Risolo).

Laurent Poliquin's artistic journey is a vibrant exploration between words and colors, establishing an innovative bridge between poetry and the visual arts. His academic training includes a certificate in Postwar Abstract Painting from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, expertise in contemporary art practice from Cornell University, and a solid foundation in arts management acquired at HEC Montréal. With a PhD in Literary Studies from the University of Manitoba, Poliquin fuses his academic skills with a deep passion for artistic expression.

His work has been exhibited in renowned galleries around the world. In October 2023, Artpal in San Francisco welcomed his creations, followed by Gallea in Montreal in November 2023. The Maison des artistes visuels francophones in Saint-Boniface was the venue for his presentation on November 30, 2023. In December 2023, Poliquin received the Artistic Excellence Award from the Circle Quarterly Art Review Magazine Contest for his piece entitled "La petite princesse jaune".

His artistic exploration also extends to international exhibitions, including "Moonshadows" at Galerie Monat in Madrid from November 20 to December 3, 2023, and "The body language" at the Venice International Art Fair in January–February 2024.

His singular career represents a harmonious symbiosis between literature and the visual arts, exploring the frontiers of contemporary creativity.

Poetry

 * Volute velours, Éditions des Plaines, 2001
 * L'ondoiement du désir, Éditions des Plaines, 2003
 * Le vertigo du tremble, Éditions des Plaines, 2005
 * La Métisse filante, Éditions L'Harmattan, 2008
 * Orpailleur de bisous, Éditions L'Interligne, 2010
 * Marchand d'intensité, Éditions L'Harmattan, 2012
 * Le maniement des larmes, Éditions des Plaines, 2013
 * De l'amuïssement des certitudes, Jacques André Éditeur, 2014 (Rue-Deschambault Literary Award)
 * Voyageur des interstices, L'Harmattan, 2018
 * L'ivresse fragile de l'aube, L'Harmattan, 2021
 * Le petit bruit du poème, Éditions du Blé, 2022
 * L’acharnement des ruines, Les Impliqués éditeur, 2023

Essay

 * La quête du séducteur ou le messianisme diabolique, Primo Mobile éditeur, 2012
 * De l'impuissance à l'autonomie. Évolution culturelle et enjeux identitaires des minorités canadiennes-françaises, Prise de Parole, 2017.
 * Les foudres du silence : l'estomac fragile de la littérature francophone au Canada, L'Harmattan, 2019.

Short stories

 * Litterarum virus, Primo Mobile éditeur, 2016

Collective works

 * L'Autre en mémoire, directed by Dominique Laporte, Presses de l'Université Laval, 2006.
 * La Joie, an anthology prepared by Danielle Shelton, Paris / Montreal, cherries Time / Sayings 2006.
 * Aria Acqua Terre Fuoco anthology established by Gabriella Valera Gruber, Florence, Ibiskos Editrice Risolo 2006.
 * Plaisir du texte, texte de plaisir : l'oeuvre de J.R. Léveillé, directed by Lise Gaboury-Diallo, Presses Universitaires de Saint-Boniface, 2007.
 * Saint-Boniface 1908–2008 : reflets d'une ville, directed by André Fauchon and Carol J. Harvey, Presses Universitaires de Saint-Boniface, 2008
 * Sillons : hommage à Gabrielle Roy directed by Lise Gaboury-Diallo, Éditions du Blé 2009.
 * Transplanter le Canada : Semailles / Transplanting Canada: Seedlings, directed by Marie Carrière and Jerry White, Edmonton, Canadian Literature Centre, 2009
 * Littératures francophones minoritaires (Canada, 1999–2010) : Entretiens et textes , directed by Catherine Parayre, Vienna, Praesens Verlag, 2011.
 *  Nous, la multitude,  anthology established by Françoise Coulmin, Paris: Le Temps des cerises, 2011.
 *  Against innocence: Aesthetics of children's literature in commitment,  directed by Britta Benert and P. Clermont, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang Verlag, 2011
 * Paroles francophones de l'Ouest et du Nord canadiens, directed by Carol Harvey, Presses Universitaires de Saint-Boniface, 2012.
 *  Étoiles et planètes, anthology established by André Desforges, Bordeaux, Les dossiers d'Aquitaine, 2012.
 * La francophonie de la Colombie-Britannique : mémoire et fiction, directed by Guy Poirier, Ottawa: Éditions David, 2012.
 *  Les institutions littéraires en question dans la franco-amérique , edited by B. Doyon-Gosselin, D. Bélanger and C. Bérard, Laval University Press, 2014.
 * Cancer, le poète ne meurt jamais, anthology established by Regroupement des poètes francophones engagés pour la paix et la liberté, Rotterdam, Les Engagés Editions, 2017.
 * Bref! 150 nouvelles pancanadiennes, directed by Charles Leblanc, Editions du Blé, 20

Interview

 * Une entrevue avec Laurent Poliquin, interview with Nina Berkhout CV2, vol. 30, no 1, summer 2007, p. 58-62.
 * Une poétique assumée: rencontre avec Laurent Poliquin, interview with Perrine Foucault, L'Harmattan, May 2018.
 * Entretien avec Laurent Poliquin par Bianca Deshaies, Milwaukee Review, vol. 92, July 2021, p. 42-49.

Awards and distinctions

 * 2023: Artistic Excellence Award from the Circle Quarterly Art Review Magazine Contest for his piece entitled "La petite princesse jaune"
 * 2018: Léopold Sédar Senghor International Poetry Prize
 * 2018: Canada Prize for  De l'impuissance à l'autonomie , finalist
 * 2016: Humanities Federation Scholarly Publishing Award for  De l'impuissance à l'autonomie 
 * 2015: Rue-Deschambault Literary Award for De l'amuïssement des certitudes
 * 2015: Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry De l'amuïssement des certitudes, shortlisted
 * 2013: Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry Marchand d'intensité, shortlisted
 * 2009–2012: Doctoral Scholarship Joseph-Armand Bombardier SSHRC
 * 2011: Margaret R. Pope Scholarship, University of Manitoba
 * 2011: Writing Fellowship from the Winnipeg Arts Council
 * 2010: Dr. Anita K. Ross Scholarship, University of Manitoba
 * 2009: Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry  La Métisse filante, shortlisted
 * 2008: Marcel Richard Award, University of Manitoba
 * 2006: Duino Castle International Poetry Prize (Italy) to La Metisse filante, shortlisted
 * 2001: Alliance française Award (Molsheim, France)
 * 2001: Government of France Award