Today, the Winnipeg Free Press published an article about Rooster Town Poetry Shed. The feature, penned by David Sanderson, explains how the poetry project came to be, what inspired it, and why art, history, and reconciliation can help build community.

The shed salutes National Poetry Month with an intriguing poem by Manitoba author and poet @prosebytoews We all hold the keys to our own time machines, and Mitch's poem reminds us that objects in a mirror are always closer than they appear.

In this version of her poem, "My Lullaby," Melanie Dennis Unrau's experiments with adding a visual element to the layering of words. Follow along as Melanie shows us the whys and wherefores of creating her visual poem. There are two more steps.

This page is draft three of Melanie Dennis Unrau's poem, "My Lullaby." Here she explains how close she is getting to the final version. The self-editing process is time-consuming, but necessary. Follow along as Melanie shows us the whys and wherefores of creating her visual poem.

Louis Riel was a handful for the nascent Canadian government of the 1880s. He was the Métis leader of two resistance movements. He was also a poet. This poem — Robert Gordon! — was written in English to one of his jailers three weeks before his execution for his role in the North-West Resistance.

It’s Slot D’s turn to rep “Miles & Miles of...,” the collaborative project between Grant Park High School Art, Jennifer Still (Winnipeg’s Poet Laureate), and Rooster Town Poetry Shed. Aury C, Kevin A, and Miu V are the featured artists. For more collage works, check out: tinyurl.com/4nn6njkv

Welcome to week two of “Miles & Miles of...,” the collaborative project between Grant Park High School Art, Jennifer Still (Winnipeg’s Poet Laureate), and Rooster Town Poetry Shed. We’re featuring collages from three GPHS artists. For more artwork, check out the class booklet: tinyurl.com/my3v6h36

Big thanks to Cendrine Marrouat for braving the cold and dropping by the shed to check out her lovely haiku, “Three Rabbits.” 🐇🐇🐇 Here’s to creating more poetry projects together.

What a great start to 2026 — a haiku from Winnipeg-based poet and artist Cendrine Marrouat. Her poem "Three Rabbits" was inspired by this silk drawing by an unknown artist. Discover more of Cendrine's work at www.creativeramblings.com. This haiku is posted with the poet's permission.

Hi, I’m Bernie Kruchak, creator and curator of Rooster Town Poetry Shed. My poem, “mirror” is from a series I’m working on called “Suburbia: Broken Burb Poems.” It highlights the moment in a relationship when both parties realize that what they see in each other isn’t what they expected.

Rooster Town Poetry Shed is now part of the Worldwide Sidewalk Joy network. It’s an international community of joyful and free neighbourhood attractions, including little art galleries, poetry boxes, keychain exchanges, yard displays, wishing trees, and much more. Check out worldwidesidewalkjoy.com.

Rooster Town Poetry Shed is excited to present Susan Alexander's remarkable poem, "Quiet." In the poet's genius, silence is effacing. Imagine having the power to unlace quietude and turn cacaphony into calm — your alchemy would be world-changing.

It was a pleasure meeting Manitoba poets Melanie Dennis Unrau (L) and Marjorie Poor (R), who dropped by to see their friend melanie brannagan frederiksen’s poem in the shed. Watch for poems from both of them in the near future.

Rooster Town Poetry Shed is collaborating with young artists from grades 9 to 12 at Grant Park High School. We're calling the project "Shedworks: Rousing Our Imaginations." Led by their terrific teacher, Jonathan Dueck, the students will create visual poetry sculptures for display in the shed.

Thanks to Ben Sigurdson, literary editor of the Winnipeg Free Press, for the shoutout yesterday. Nice to know my little poetry project is getting noticed — and, more importantly, shedding light on Rooster Town’s history.

Rooster Town Poetry Shed is thrilled to present new visual poetry by Winnipeg poet melanie brannagan frederiksen. melanie's dynamic poem, "a physics, of sorts," is from her forthcoming collection, "the night, the knife, the river out," which will be published by At Bay Press in 2026.

What's in the shed today? Four Haiku for Fall — a pastiche of autumn poems from four haiku masters.

Duncan Mercredi's book, "215," bears witness to the 215 unmarked graves of Indigenous children discovered on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in 2021. This poem invites survivors to become their unassailable selves, full of self-respecting defiance and exquisite incompleteness.

Terry Copenace from Big Grassy First Nation was 24 years old when his father, Fred Joseph Copenace, passed away in 1999. Reflecting on Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, Terry wishes he had asked his dad many more questions about his experiences at Cecelia Jeffrey IRS.

"Injustice" is Bethany Whiteknife's poem about bridging the distance between generations and carrying the torch of justice into the future. Bethany is a member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation. Growing up off the reserve taught her the importance of culture. Poem posted with the poet's permission.

What’s in the shed? Still Life by Dorothy Livesay. Born in Winnipeg in 1909, Dorothy was a social justice warrior and one of her generation’s leading poets.

Welcome to Rooster Town Poetry Shed, a place for poems born of imagination, shaped by truth, and leavened with insight. Our first poem is an installation by Jennifer Still, Winnipeg's Poet Laureate. It's a graceful illumination that asks us to find the joy between the seen and what seems to be.

Jennifer Still, Winnipeg’s Poet Laureate, stopped by recently to launch Rooster Town Poetry Shed with her illuminated poetry installation, an excerpt from A Little Book of Light. #poetrywinnipeg #poetrycanada

Bringing poetry to the street. Displaying awe-inspiring poems from Canada and around the world.

Bringing poetry to the street.

Rooster Town Poetry Shed displays creations of awe-inspiring poets from Canada and around the world. The shed struts its stuff at 939 Dudley Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.