City of Windsor Appoints Next Youth Poet Laureate

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The City of Windsor announced that Alex-Andrei (Alexei) Ungurenasu (they/them) is the next youth poet laureate.

Ungurenasu is an emerging writer who cites Leonard Cohen, Walt Whitman, William Blake and John Milton as primary influences for their own writing. Their first published poem will appear in the spring of 2021 in vol. 23 of Headlight Anthology. They are beginning work on a short volume of poetry called Sandwiched to be published within the next two years. They are a current student at the University of Windsor, working towards a Bachelor of Arts Honours in English and Philosophy. They are a teaching assistant for the university’s arts and humanities courses and have also worked part-time for Indigo book store, where they shared their love of literature with customers and colleagues.

Ungurenasu participated in the virtual poetry reading and workshop Here and There in October 2020 in partnership with the Art Gallery of Windsor. They presented their own poetry workshop To Light in May 2020 with support from Windsor’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund (ACHF) helping to complete the project and bring inspiration to residents during the first year of the COVID-19 global pandemic. They have served as a member and contributor to the Arts Council Windsor & Region’s Vanguard Youth Arts Collective, working on several projects that engage youth through the arts and writing.

Alexei has volunteered with Artcite Inc. in downtown Windsor, helping to install artworks and assisting with exhibitions; with the Humanities Research Group at the University of Windsor, serving as undergraduate student representative on the advisory board (2018 to 2020) and being named a two-time finalist of the Why Humanities? contest; with the Windsor Youth Centre, providing hospitality services for at-risk youth; and with several Toronto-based arts and culture events and initiatives prior to arriving in Windsor.

Ungurenasu will serve in the position from 2021 to 2023.