An Interview With Johnny Trinh   In an effort to support, promote, and inform we will be publicizing the events, experiences, and work of local poets on our blog. On Monday, July 20th the pilot program of a unique workshop was launched by the Community Arts Council of Vancouver. Its … Continued

We are ready to take your bids! Need a new dance track? Got something to write but can’t find the pen? Missing the grilled cheese at Café Deux Soleils? We’ve got something for you in the auction catalog. Bidding closes on Saturday, October 10 at 11pm

Position: This position reports to the Arts Administrator (AA) and requires significant collaboration with both the AA and the Artistic Director as well as Program Coordinators. The scope of work will be set by the AA, but will not exceed the duties as outlined below. This is a part-time, contract … Continued

The Vancouver Poetry House Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday, July 19, 2pm, using BlueJeans Everyone is welcome to the AGM but only members will be able to vote. If you are a member in good standing we sent you an invitation to the meeting with the login information. … Continued

Summary The Financial Coordinator is responsible for working with the Artistic Director and Arts Administrator to fulfil the financial reporting requirements of being a non-profit Society in BC and a registered charity in Canada. The financial coordinator makes sure that the society’s records meet ASNFPO standards, while also providing regular … Continued

Listed among the core values of Vancouver Poetry House are social justice and community; we hereby acknowledge that the VPH Board of directors has failed to uphold these values. The purpose of this statement is to acknowledge the ways that we, personally, and the organization, historically, have perpetuated systemic racism … Continued

There are so many people we need to thank! First, thank you to everyone who is helping to keep VanSlam going! and thank you to our 2020 festival artists who are busy making works we can share while social distancing. More on this soon… and thank you to our Verses … Continued

  At the request of community members and with the goal of increasing access to board minutes we are in the process of adding them to the About dropdown list. This will prevent people from having to search through the blog, or to request minutes. These will be organized by … Continued

In fact, Vancouver Poetry House increased minimum artist fees for poets at all our events. The fee increases are based on research sponsored by the Canadian Writer’s Union, The Remuneration of Canadian Writers for Literary Works: A Benchmarking Study, Marilyn Burgess and Maria De Rosa, Communications MDR. The findings of … Continued

Would you like to help bring Canada’s largest alternative literary festival to the stage? We are hiring for three positions on the 2020 festival team: CIPS Tournament Director, Accessibility Coordinator and Sponsorship Coordinator. Deadline to submit applications for all three positions is January 5th. Find more about the positions.

Cotyledon: the first poem to appear from a germinating seed We want poems that you haven’t been able to share on slam stages, poems that are unconventional, poems that you’ve crafted gently, and haven’t found a home for yet, poems that started out as a whisper, a brave thought, or an inkling. We … Continued

Calling all poets! Vancouver Poetry House will be soon accepting submissions for our first edition of “Cotyledon” – a chapbook of poetry that will be launched at Verses Festival of Words 2020, to help fundraise for youth programming in the coming year. Keep an eye out for our call for … Continued

Our former President, Andrew Sutherland, has resigned from the Vancouver Poetry House Board of Directors. It has been a pleasure to serve on the board alongside them and with their leadership, and we wish them the very best in their current and future pursuits. Their contributions to the Vancouver Poetry … Continued

In August, the Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam Team Lilith Brodt, Ainslie Glass, Aaron Hunter and LJ Weisberg, headed to Toronto to compete in the youth national spoken word festival, Voices of Today. Voices of Today is a four day festival with workshops, open mics, and showcases run by youth for youth. It is … Continued

The Board of Directors of the Vancouver Poetry House is happy to announce that Joesph Dandurand will join us as our new Artistic Director. Dandurand will be bringing his wealth of experience as a Kwantlen storyteller, poet, playwright, researcher, archaeologist and father to Vancouver Poetry House. Joesph is the Director … Continued

Kelsey is a creative chameleon, community educator, slam poet, and the author of the independently published All This While F*cking: Sex, Self, and Social Stigma in the Modern Age. She fell in love with the written word while growing up in Vancouver, where she now edits books for self-published authors, … Continued

Sam Peters is a nonbinary poet, settler, and student. Sam has worked as a volunteer coordinator, first aid attendant, and restaurant manager, but they are most proud of their work as a facilitator for Qmunity and the Youth Excellence Society. You may also recognize them as a Vanslam and Verses … Continued

The staff and board are working to continue the gains we’ve made in the last year. Part of this is to hire more staff, to be more realistic about the number of hours staff dedicate to their jobs, and ultimately to pay them better during the next 4-year planning cycle. … Continued

Join us, in this opportunity to learn with Brandon Wint in his writing workshop, on Sunday, August 18th, 2-4pm | $5/pwyc at the door | 4th floor, 111 West Hastings.   Through a combination of reading, writing, analysis and communal discussion, this workshop will explore the formal and emotional approaches … Continued

There’s a new policy announcement here.

Here’s the announcement. Here’s the job description. Go to the “full article” for clickable links.

VPH is hiring. Position announcement here. about/position announcements

The board is meeting on Sunday July 24, 2019 at noon. As always, #210, 111 W. Hastings.

Having successfully led and directed, Johnny is moving on to new projects.   As the Artistic Director of the 2019 Verses Festival of Words Johnny, curated Canada’s largest alternative literary festival.  Over 10 days of Spoken Word, Storytelling and Music featuring Vivek Shraya, Regie Cabico, Christie Lee Charles, Ian Keteku & … Continued

Welcome! DJ ANGLE, Bassam and (the magnificent, returning) Leslie Stark. Look under about / board of directors for headshots and bios.

VPH is hiring. If you’d like to be on the hiring committee please contact the board at admin@vancouverpoetryhouse.com or come speak to one of us Monday nights at VanSlam.

We’ve designed a short survey so members of the community can let us know what they would like to see from VPH in the future. The survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. Vancouver Poetry House Survey Please join us on Saturday, June 29th, 4-6 for the last community planning … Continued

Vancouver Poetry House and Vancouver Poetry Slam would like to thank the community members who brought forward the lack of Indigenous programming during June – National Indigenous Peoples Month. To those who brought this oversight forward, to our community, specifically to the Indigenous members, we recognize we have not followed … Continued

We are hosting four conversations at Vancouver Poetry House that will help to set our goals for the coming year. We need your input. If you have comments or concerns and aren’t able to come to a meeting we still want to hear from you. You can reach our Board … Continued

The Vancouver Poetry House Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday, July 7, 1pm-4pm, in the fifth-floor board room at 111 West Hastings Street. Everyone is welcome to the AGM but only members will be able to vote.  Membership to VPH is now FREE! Members can renew their membership … Continued

Welcome Holden Wall to the board. He has agreed to an appointment as an interim director. In accordance with the new bylaws and policy manual, Holden will stand for election at the next AGM, coming up in July. Come to the AGM to vote them back in! Say Hi! and … Continued

The next board is meeting at #210, 111 West Hastings at noon on Sunday May 26, 2019. You are welcome to join us. We are coming up on planning month (June). The kinds of things we’ll be talking about: what projects VPH will focus on in 2020, what changes we’d … Continued

The board is meeting at #210, 111 West Hastings at noon on Sunday April 14, 2019. You are welcome to join us. Agenda for Sunday April 14, 2019  

The EGM concluded yesterday with a “yes” vote on the proposed by-laws. The new by-laws are posted to this site. There is also some new information about upcoming committees and the new policy manual under the About tab (sub-tab, Policy and Procedure). Any questions? email admin@vancouverpoetryhouse.com

On sale now at Brown Paper Tickets

ON SALE NOW! $60 for all events. Ends March 31 at 11:59PM. https://www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/761890

Here they are: https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/about/verses-staff-2019/

Outsider Arts poster as pdf artist call PDF instructions

On Sunday, April 7 2019 VPH is holding an Extraordinary General Meeting of the membership (EGM) to discuss changes to the by-laws made, and passed by, the board of directors. The reasons we have re-written the by-laws are: To make it possible for people  who earn money on VPH stages … Continued

Our next meeting will be March 17. #210 – 111 W Hastings. Noon.

The Board is proposing changes to the Vancouver Poetry House Society Constitution and By-Laws. The purpose of these changes is to encourage member & community participation in governance of the Society. Specifically, we wish to make it easier for working artists who are members of VPH to also be a … Continued

Our next board meeting is at noon on Sunday January 20th, 2019.  It will be at the VPH office located at #210 111 W Hastings. Let one of us know you are coming, and we’ll come let you in. If you don’t know us you can find our info here. … Continued

Vancouver Poetry House has recently announced two new hires for the positions of Artistic Director and Arts Administrator. The hiring process was done in conjunction with drafting policy. We want the people who volunteer with, work with, and participate in the programs to have an idea of what the hiring … Continued

Now that the senior staff is in place, we want to raise some money. That means there is now a Fundraising Committee. Come help us figure out how to get some new audio and video equipment, have more travel subsidies, more workshops, more training for staff and community members, expanded … Continued

The Hiring Committee has done its job. The Board wants to acknowledge those community members who helped make the selections. That room where we hashed it out – that’s what engagement looks like. Thank you!

We are really, really happy to announce: Johnny MacRae is our new Artistic Director and Santiago Farias Calderon is our new Arts Administrator. Read their bios and look at their faces here. Click on “full article” to access link.

Our next board meeting is on Sunday December 9, 2018 at the VPH office. #210 111 W Hastings. Let one of us know you are coming, and we’ll come let you in. Don’t know who we are? Go here. As always, you are welcome.

The application window for the positions has now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied. The hiring committee meets on Sunday. Once the short-listed candidates are identified, everyone will be sent an email. Thank you for your support of Vancouver Poetry House.

You have until midnight tomorrow to get your application(s) in. Hop to it! Position announcements for Arts Administrator and Artistic Director here. (Click on the post title to take you to the active link.)

We will be deciding on 2 people to lead VPH into the next phase of its life. This concerns all the membership. If you want to help decide, then be on the hiring committee. If you are a member, and if you want some input into who VPH hires to … Continued

Jobs! Apply by midnight, Wednesday November 21, 2018. vancouverpoetryhouse (dot) com/about/position-announcements/

The next board meeting happens Sunday, November 4th, at noon. It will be held at the office, 111 West Hastings, Room #210. Here is the agenda as a pdf Here is the agenda as a doc file          

The next board meeting happens Sunday, October 14 at noon. As always, the board meets at the office – 111 West Hastings, room #210. Here is the agenda as pdf. Here is the agenda as a doc file.

Hey folks! For those looking for something to do mid month, the Vancouver Writer’s Festival is happening Oct 15-21st check out the website for more info https://writersfest.bc.ca/ There is an amazing line-up of writers and performers, including some of the Van Slam Family and this year’s Team right before they … Continued

We have been writing policy for the last month. We are now beginning the approval process. I’ve added a couple of things to the site. The first is the Board of Directors Job Description. The second is a new, and formal Complaint Process. Look under About, then Policies and Procedures. … Continued

Last April the Verses Festival hosted a workshop led by Ronnie Dean Harris and Johnny MacRae called “Reframing Relations.”  It was a look at the notion of reconciliation and what it means to different people and how we can meet at the crossroads of where each of us are right … Continued

Currently being written: HR policies for VPH. With a strong community mandate, the Board has made our first priority to build HR policies that will build community diversity and talent. We strongly believe that the way to a sustainable future is through inclusion, building process on our shared values and … Continued

What makes VPH great is its uniqueness and its ability to make things happen. What makes VPH sustainable is all of our abilities to be fluid, to make art, to listen, and to speak. Both Jillian Christmas and Pam Bentley have meant a great deal to VPH. Jillian has decided … Continued

Some people are just flat-out amazing. RC Weslowski and Johnny MacRae are among them. We want to recognize what they have done, especially now that they are moving out of old jobs and into new opportunities.

Members are always welcome at board meetings. We believe in transparency and would welcome your participation. The next board meeting is Sunday, September 2, 2018 starting at Noon. We meet at the Geist Offices, Woodwards Building, 111 W. Hastings St, Vancouver, Unit 210. Let us know if you’re coming. We’ll … Continued

The new board has begun to work. The first thing we want to do is say thank you to everyone who has made this organization possible. Thank you to those of you who are still here. Thank you to those who have moved on. Lastly, thank you to those of … Continued

On August 12, 2018 the Vancouver Poetry House (VPH) held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at the Lore Krill Co-op to address two outstanding agenda items from the 2018 VPH AGM.   We am happy to announce we had a successful EGM by both approving the 2017 AGM minutes and … Continued

The staff and board of Vancouver Poetry House invite you to the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on August 12, 2018 to elect a new board, subsequent to the 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM). Come to vote, to run for the board, to support and grow our poetry community. To run … Continued

Board Member Job Description   The hourly commitment as a board member can range from 5 to 15 hours per month Read all the Vancouver Poetry House constitution, by-laws and policies in the New Board Member Welcome Package.   Attend board meetings. Any board member who misses 3 or more … Continued

Hello, In effort to ensure compliance with our by-laws the VPH by-laws were posted as a blog post.  Unfortunately the document posted did not include the amendments ratified at the 2017 AGM, and a subject of discussion at the 2018 AGM when the minutes were reviewed. In order to allow … Continued

The Vancouver Poetry House 2018 AGM was held at The Lore Krill Co-op, on July 15th. Here is an update for the community regarding the events and outcomes of that meeting. It was announced early in the meeting that there would not be any current board members running for re-election … Continued

This is a temporary posting until it can be added back onto the proper webpage. Thank you for you patience while we continue to update our website.   VPH Mission Statement – Constitution – By-Law Oct 2017

Vancouver Poetry House Notice for Board Nominations   Election for board members will be at the Annual General Meeting on July 15th. Those wishing to be on the ballot must submit their names by 12pm on July 9th.  Names to be emailed to hello@vancouverpoetryhouse.com with the subject line “VPH board … Continued

YOUTH SLAM COORDINATOR   ORGANIZATION:   Vancouver Poetry House   DEADLINE:   June 18, 2018   WEBSITE:   www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com   REMUNERATION:   $1200/year   JOB DESCRIPTION:   Part-time position managing/hosting the monthly Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam.   WORK:   The Youth Slam Coordinator is responsible for the running and maintaining … Continued

The staff and board of Vancouver Poetry House invite you to the 2018 annual general meeting. The AGM agenda will include a review of the 2017 financial statement, program activities, and board nominations. In order to have voting privilege you must be a VPH member for at least 30 days … Continued

Last Call for All Artists Aged 18 to 24!! Applications for Word Camp 2018 officially closed last night – but we’re so excited about this program we’ve decided to keep applications open for another two days!   Word Camp applications now close at midnight on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6TH!  Don’t wait: APPLY TODAY! Is … Continued

Are you 18 to 24?  A poet? storyteller? songwriter? Apply for Word Camp!! Word Camp applications close at midnight on MONDAY, JUNE 4TH!  Don’t wait: APPLY TODAY!   Is this the first time you’ve heard of Word Camp?  Well, here’s a bit of info for you: Word Camp: Youth Slam Intensive is … Continued

WORDPLAY POETS COORDINATOR   ORGANIZATION:   Vancouver Poetry House   DEADLINE:   June 8, 2018   WEBSITE:   www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com   REMUNERATION:   $3000/year   JOB DESCRIPTION:   Part-time position coordinating poetry in schools program. WordPlay poets stage spoken word performances, host events, make keynote speeches, and conduct workshops in dozens … Continued

Have you found yourself looking at the lineup for Word Camp and feeling sad about being just little too old to apply? Well, you’re in luck! Word Camp applications closed on Saturday evening.  Unfortunately we didn’t receive enough applicants to run our program as planned.  So we’ve decided upon a change … Continued

There’s only 2 days remaining to submit your applications for Word Camp: Youth Slam Intensive! Applications for Word Camp are open to BC-based artists between the ages of 15 and 19.  Applications close this Saturday, May 19th, at 11:59 PM! So don’t delay: APPLY NOW! Is this the first time you’ve heard … Continued

Dear Van Slam Family, On behalf of Vancouver Poetry House, the umbrella organization that facilitates The Vancouver Poetry Slam, The Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam, Hullabaloo, Wordplay, Word Camp and Verses, please consider this the formal announcement for the next Van Slam Family meeting on Sunday May 27th 2018 at 2PM … Continued

Vancouver Poetry House has a new coat of paint and has done some remodeling after our 2017 Annual General Meeting.   As of July 2017, Fernando Raguero is the new VPH President taking over for interim President, Megan Hooge.  Fernando is well recognized in the community as a published poet, … Continued

The staff and board of the Vancouver Poetry House invite you to the 2017 annual general meeting. The AGM agenda will include a review of the 2016 financial statements and program activities, board nominations, and the passing of a special resolution to change some of our bylaws in light of … Continued

Teams Registration, All Star Slam tickets, Available Now Are your students ready to slam?  Do you know some young poets looking for a space to spit some verse?  Hullabaloo is the place for them. Once again, Hullabaloo returns to the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch, from Thursday, April 20th to … Continued

Venue Rep Registration opens February 1, 2017, at NOON, and we can’t wait to find out who you’re sending to Vancouver to win the title of Canadian Individual Poetry Slam champion!! If you are the host, or Slam Master of a Canadian poetry slam and are on the list of … Continued

by Julie Peters & C.R. Gilpin It’s that time again when we look back at past year and gather together the ten poems that have stood out to us as the most remarkable. All we require for a poem to be eligible for consideration is that it made its public … Continued

In her time as the executive director for VPH, Erin Kirsh has been instrumental to the growth of the organization and its programs. She has taken huge leaps to make VPH a more sustainable organization after guiding us through a difficult year. The Board is sad to see Erin leave VPH, but we wish her … Continued

Come one, come all to Vancouver Poetry House’s general meeting. We will review 2015, providing information about all four VPH programs as well as our recently completed financial statements. When: Saturday, May 21st, 1-2:30 PM Where: Ocean and Crow Yoga Studio (1707 Grant Street) There will also be elections for … Continued

Welcome to the March edition of Vancouver Poetry House Staff Picks! This month we are treated to the Top 3 poetic choices of the wonderful Dana Kagis! Dana is a long standing volunteer for Vancouver Poetry Slam, Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam, Verses Festival of Words, and Hullabaloo. She is the … Continued

Welcome to the February 1st Van Slam Staff Picks! Here we have the Top 3 poems to rock the Van Slam stage as selected by Simon Massey! Simon Massey has been a volunteer extraordinaire at Vancouver Poetry Slam, Verses Festival of Words, Hullabaloo, and the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word … Continued

This year we were interested in how poets engage with their mediums. How is the message different when it’s presented visually or aurally? How is the experience of reading changed when we take in poetry in the same spaces where we follow Marnie the Dog or news about Kim Kardashian? In a time when our connections and communications with each other are increasingly disembodied, how can we read our bodies into these texts again?

On November 15th VPH and the Vancouver Slam Family held elections for the upcoming Slam Master role. Matt J. Loeb and Jillian Christmas put their names into the running and a robust and diverse showing of the VanSlam family came out to vote. After a vote between these two fabulous … Continued

Duncan Shields, the current Slam Master, has been a long-serving fantastic program director who has brought success and stability to Vancouver Poetry Slam. After many years in this position, Duncan is stepping down. We are incredibly sad to see him leave and are seeking a new, talented slam master to … Continued

Please welcome Vancouver Poetry House’s new Executive Director: Erin Kirsh! Erin has been a member of the poetry community as a poet, slam team member, and Wordplay workshop facilitator for several years now, and she deeply understands the importance of this community to its members. Her skills in communication, writing, … Continued

Chris Gilpin, our current Executive Director, has been integral to the growth of VPH over the past seven years that he has served as a staff member and we are very sorry to see him go. Chris leaves VPH in the best position it has ever experienced as an organization, … Continued

Come one, come all to Vancouver Poetry House’s general meeting. We will review 2014, providing information about all four VPH programs as well as our recently completed financial statements.

Our five judges scored the CanLip Finalists. We revealed the results on twitter. Here’s how it went down.

The first phase of CanLip: The Great Canadian YouTube Poetry Contest has wrapped up. Over 3300 votes were cast for 38 different poetry videos

You have an extra two weeks to join Canada’s first-ever poetry video party. Okay, yes, it’s a contest too, but what better way could there be to show hundreds of people your poetry?

While there have been many lists made of 2014’s notable poetry books, what has been most notable is a lack of focus on the poems themselves. If you set aside the reputations and the awards, which poems threaten to become unforgettable?

This list is one answer to that question, roaming through many kinds of poetry from lyric to conceptual, literary to spoken word, structured metre to sound poetry. It is, however, by no means definitive nor comprehensive. It’s simply the poems that – in our utterly subjective judgment – are the most likely to be discussed for years to come.

This may be the best news we’ve heard all year! Congratulations and thanks go to Ikenna “OpenSecret” Onyegbula, who finished first at the Coupe de Monde de Poésie in Paris, France. Onyegbula became the Canadian representative by winning the 2013 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam at the Verses Festival of Words … Continued

It’s time to review all that VPH has done in 2013 and look forward to some of our plans for the future. This meeting is an ideal opportunity for members of the community to meet the VPH board, program directors, and find out more about how VPH operates. We’ll discuss … Continued

This exciting event is happening in our city! This FRIDAY November 22nd, the city will announce the winner of the 2013 City of Vancouver Book Award. Best of all, there are 3 books of poetry on the short-list, including Ink on Paper by Brad Cran, The Ballad of Mrs. Smith … Continued