Milton Acorn Centenary

The 100th anniversary of the birth of noted Canadian poet Milton Acorn will be observed with a life celebration at the Haviland Club, 2 Haviland Street, Charlottetown.

Born in Charlottetown on March 30, 1923, Acorn worked as a carpenter before finding his voice as a poet in Montreal in the 1950s, alongside other poets including Al Purdy, Irving Layton, and Leonard Cohen. While he also spent time in Vancouver and Toronto, Acorn’s very personal work includes many poems and prose pieces about Prince Edward Island, its landscape, history, and people. An individualist with strong views, his work ranges from the stridently political to the warmly personal.

Acorn was recognized by a group of Canadian poets with a special medal as the “People’s Poet” of Canada, awarded in 1970, and received the Governor General’s Medal for English-language poetry in 1976. He was given an honorary degree from UPEI in 1977. Acorn died in Charlottetown in 1986.

There will be reminiscences, readings, music, and two National Film Board films on the Island poet will be shown. Admission is by donation.

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