2026 Honorary Degree Recipient Lorna Crozier's Speech to Graduates
Matt Bowes - 12 June 2026
On Wednesday, June 10th, pre-eminent poet and literary professor Lorna Crozier received an honorary Doctorate of Letters as part of 2026's Convocation ceremonies.
Check out her inspiring Convocation Address to students here.
Bio: An Officer of the Order of Canada, Lorna Crozier has been acknowledged for her contributions to Canadian literature, her teaching and her mentoring with five honourary doctorates, most recently from McGill and Simon Fraser Universities. Her books have received numerous national awards, including the Governor-General’s Award for Poetry. The Globe and Mail declared The Book of Marvels: A Compendium of Everyday Things one of its Top 100 Books of the Year, and Amazon chose her memoir as one of the 100 books you should read in your lifetime. A Professor Emerita at the University of Victoria, she has performed for Queen Elizabeth II and has read her poetry, which has been translated into several languages, on every continent except Antarctica. Her book, What the Soul Doesn't Want, was nominated for the 2017 Governor General's Award for Poetry. In 2018, Lorna Crozier received the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award. Steven Price called Through the Garden: A Love Story (with Cats), her latest nonfiction book, “one of the great love stories of our time.” After That is her most recent collection of poetry. Lorna Crozier lives on Vancouver Island.