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Fifty More Days until PoFest18!
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In 50 days we kick off our 12th annual Edmonton Poetry Festival: Your Voice Here. Our website will be up Monday March 12th, with all the festival details, but until then, we would like to offer you more sneak peeks of our headliners and events!
Lorna Crozier
Lorna Crozier is the author of seventeen collections of poetry, most recentl
y
What the Soul Doesn't
Want.
She is an Officer of the Order of Canada, has been awarded the Governor General
'
s Award for
Poetry, and is a three-time recipient of the Pat Lowther Award. Born in Swift
Current, she now lives on V
ancouver Island with writer Patrick Lane and two fine cats.
Kai Cheng Thom
Kai Cheng Thom
is a writer, performer, therapist, lasagna lover and wicked witch who div
ides her heart
between Toronto and Montreal. Her writing has been published widely in p
rint and online, with pieces in
Buzzfeed, Asian American Literary Review, Canadian Art, GUTS, Plenitude Magazine,
and more. S
he is
the author of the novel
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir
(Metonymy Press) and
a place called No Homeland
(Arsenal Pulp Press).
Ali Blythe
Ali Blythe's first book of poems,
Twoism
, was released by icehouse poetry to critical acclaim in 2015. He is th
e
winner of the Vallum Award for Poetry, finalist for the BC Book Awar
ds, and recipient of an honour of distinction
from the Writers Trust of Canada for emerging LGBTQ writers. His po
ems are published in literary journals and
anthologies throughout Canada, and in Germany and England. Bly
the lives in Vancouver and is editor-
in
-chief
of T
he Claremont Review
, an edgy international magazine for youth writers and artists.
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Event Spotlight
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In One's Own Voice
Wednesday, April 25
7:30 p.m., Doors 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10 members, $15 non-members
Available in advance at TIX on the Square (after March 10) or at the door
How does one speak their own truth? Join this eclectic group of poets, who each have cultivated a unique voice and an honest perspective in their work. Expect a moving evening of diverse poetry that will have you seeking your own true voice!
- Ali Blythe: A winner of the Vallum Award for Poetry, Ali's first book of poems, Twoism, was a finalist for the BC Book Awards. He is also the recipient of an Honour of Distinction from the Writers' Trust of Canada for emerging LGBTQ writers.
- Christian Campbell: Winner of the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize for Running the Dusk, Christian has also received numerous awards and fellowships.
- Patrick Friesen: With more than a dozen collections of poetry, Patrick co-translated Ulrikka Gernes' Frayed Opus for Strings & Wind Instruments, which was shortlisted for the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize. His most recent book is Songen.
- Ahmed "Knowmadic" Ali: An award-winning Somali-born spoken word poet, entertainer, and educator, Ahmed serves as the current Poet Laureate of Edmonton.
Wine and Wild Women Wordsmiths
Friday, April 27
8:00 p.m., Doors 7:30 p.m.
The Matrix Hotel (10640-100 Avenue)
$20 members; $30 non-members
Includes poetry, four wine samples, and hors d'oeuvres
In advance at TIX on the Square (after March 10) and at the door
Our popular event Wine and Wild Women Wordsmiths is back! Just like poetry, there is a sea of wine styles and varietals to choose from, and just like women, the anthocyanins in wine have great heart-health benefits.
It's Friday night and we invite you to enjoy distilled words, quality grapes, and the company of women who make a habit of pushing boundaries! This year's event will be hosted by Gurvinder Bhatia and S.G. Wong.
The price of admission includes a sample of four wines to match our distinct female poets. Thank you to our friends at Vino Mania for sponsoring our wine samples tonight.
- Medgine Mathurin: A Haitian-born poet, psalmist, and spoken word artist, Medgine is the current artist-in-residence at the McLuhan House with the Black Girl Magic artist collective
- Alice Major: The first Poet Laureate of Edmonton, Alice received a 2017 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguised Artist Award and her most recent book is Welcome to the Anthropocene.
- Kai Cheng Thom: Winner of the 2017 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for Emerging LGBT Writers, she is the author of Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars and a place called No Homeland.
- Penn Kemp: The first Poet Laureate of London, Ont., Penn received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for her service to arts and culture.
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Call for Volunteers!
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Volunteers are essential to the Edmonton Poetry Festival! We simply couldn't do it without you. If you are interested in being part of our volunteer team this year, please fill out this Google Form with your information and availability.
What are the perks of volunteering with PoFest?
- Receive a free Edmonton Poetry Festival membership, which provides many discounts to events and workshops!
- Brush shoulders with amazing local, national and international poets!
- Our Annual Poetry Party on Saturday April 28th is thrown in your honour!
How can I help out?
There are so many ways you can help us out!
You can sell memberships or books at one of our events. Feeling creative? You can
improvise live poems for people at Poetry Central (noon hour at City Hall)! Are you more of an introvert? Maybe you prefer to pick up a poet from the airport or drive them to a school for a workshop, for that one-on-one time!
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Become a PoFest Member!
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Maybe you can't help us out by being a volunteer this year, but you still want the awesome advantages of a yearly PoFest membership. Now is the perfect time to become a member, and unlock these benefits:
- Discounts to ticketed events and workshops during the festival in April as well as throughout 2018
- Access to very special members-only picnics & parties
- Our monthly e-newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on poetry happenings in Edmonton
- An opportunity to vote at our AGM
- The warm, fuzzy feeling you get for supporting poetry in your community
Cost: $15
How to Renew or Join:
- Online - You can easily join or renew online through PayPal by clicking here. Note: You do not need a PayPal account to renew online, but you do need a credit card or Visa Debit.
- By mail - Please download the membership form here and mail a cheque payable to the Edmonton Poetry Festival. If you would like a form emailed directly to you, please email [email protected].
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Reminder: Poetry Moves on Transit
Call for Submissions!
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Share Your Voice on Transit!
Deadline: March 5, 2018
We are still looking for poems for this round's Poetry Moves on Transit! Send us your words. Tell us how you share your voice. How you use your voice. This year you can move them to us in new ways.
- Have a poem 250 characters or less? Submit your entry by Twitter to #PoFestMoves
- Post it to the Edmonton Poetry Festival's Facebook Page
- Submit your poem on Instagram by tagging @edmpoetryfest and #pofestmoves
- Send it by e-mail to Adriana@edmontonpoetryfestival.com
- Deadline to submit on all media: March 5th, 2018
Poems have to be short enough to feature on the posters: Maximum 10 lines (including stanza breaks), no more than 10 words per line. You may send us up to 3 poems.
Open to all residents of the Edmonton region. Four poems will be chosen to run ETS vehicles in April, National Poetry Month.
With thanks to the Edmonton Arts Council.
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Coffee Sleeves & Podcasts!
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Perk Up with Poetry!
What's brewing at PoFest? We've recently partnered with #yegwords coffee sleeves to preview some of the incredible Edmonton poets at this year's festival! This cool project created by Jason Lee Norman provides small tastes of literature with your
morning coffee.
Starting in mid-March, watch for poetry from
Randy Kohan, Laurie MacFayden, Medgine Mathurin, Wendy McGrath, and Darian Rose Selander to appear on the sides of your coffee cup! Add some lit to your latte at nearly a dozen local cafes, including Elm Cafe, Little Brick, Coffee Bureau, Woodrack Cafe, and more.
In addition, look out
for our four-part
podcast
series starting Mid-March, featuring local poets showcasing at the Edmonton Poetry Festival, including Ahmed Knowmadic, Grayson Thate-McKendry, Emilia Nielsen, and Sharon McCartney! The podcasts will be available to listen to on our website and on social media.
With thanks to Matt Bowes for his guidance and
podcast
prowess.
Until next time!
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Thank you for your continued support of the festival and our outreach initiatives!
Sincerely,
Rayanne Doucet and Adriana Onita
Edmonton Poetry Festival |
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