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Richard Doiron has been named recipient of the World Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award for 2012. The Award is to be presented to him at the World Poetry International Peace Festival, May 25, 26, 2012 in Richmond, British Columbia.

There were forty-five poets nominated for this Award by publishers from various parts of the globe, but Doiron was selected along with Jacqueline Maire, who will receive her Award the following October.

For Doiron, this Award validates his fifty years of writing poetry, during which time he has produced the largest body of poetry in human history, with an estimated 40,000 poems penned (over 1000 of those in 2011). He has published an estimated 1000 poems in his life, his work in print in over 100 paper books and periodicals, along with numerous online publications. He has won several international competitions. His work has been read at the United Nations University for Peace, the World Congress of Poetry & Culture, and he has participated in national and international literary festivals. He has also been heard over World Poetry Café Radio, numerous times (including a one-hour live interview on Oct. 11, 2011), and his work has been showcased with World Poetry for the best part of a decade on a regular basis.

Richard is associate editor of two ongoing publications, one which caters to sonnets, a form he has mastered, penning an unprecedented 5555 of those. He is both an inspiration and a mentor to many aspiring and established poets in various parts of the globe. Oddly enough, the one place where Richard remains relatively unknown is in the City of his birth, which is Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, where he lives and the province of New Brunswick itself. The neglect is unmistakable, recognized far and wide, and seen broadly as a concerted effort to silence him and his work. For his part, meanwhile, Richard continues to promote both poetry and the poets of the world! It is his firmly-held belief that it is the responsibility of the artists to promote others artists, and he also is adamant that we are all held accountable to history, ultimately!

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Richard Doiron's status as an author got a substantial boost on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010, as his friends Art Smith, formerly personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, and Smith's long-time partner, artist Jesus Salgueiro were wed in Washington, D.C. Richard authored the couple's wedding vows (as requested) and many publications,  including the Washington Post reported "not a dry eye" at the ceremony, which was attended by 500 people, including many high-ranking politicians, entertainers, media personalities and invited guests from various parts of the globe. Excerpts from the vows made it into the Post and other publications of note.

 

Smith, also a best-selling author, is now owner and operator of restaurants in both Chicago and Washington, while Salgueiro continues to distinguish himself as a world-class artist (see above painting). The two founded "Common Threads" in 2003, a non-profit organization which helps bridge social boundaries by teaching children about nutrition and physical well-being, as well as fostering an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking. The pair were named Chicagoans of the year in 2006 for their charitable endeavours.

The following link offers extensive coverage of the Smith-Salgueiro wedding, with numerous pictures and includes the vows, as originally written by Richard Doiron and recited at the wedding:

Richard Doiron's Poem Places First