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Announcing POETRY JAM!

We’re excited to be announce that we’ll be launching a new hybrid event series in partnership with Historic Joy Kogawa House: POETRY JAM! Starting on February 20th, we’ll be hosting the first ever Poetry Jam! We’ll be hosting this event in-person and online on the 3rd Thursday of every month! … Continued

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Annual General Meeting

  The Vancouver Poetry House Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 17, 3pm, at the Historic Joy Kogawa House (1450 West 64th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6P 2N4). A virtual option is available using Zoom. Let us Know You’re attending: Please Register to Attend AGM Here Everyone is welcome … Continued

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Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award that is now open for submissions until April 10, 2023 @ 11:59 PM PST

Gratitude, honouring peers, and recognizing excellence are vital parts of building community. Verses Festival of Words | Vancouver Poetry House is pleased to continue the tradition of stewarding the Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award that is now open for submissions until April 10, 2023 @ 11:59 PM PST. Via online submission: https://forms.gle/9zqvXiU9ojCKhVDY7 … Continued

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Welcome to our new Artistic Director Johnny Trinh

Vancouver Poetry House is pleased to announce the appointment of Johnny D Trinh as our new Artistic Director. Johnny brings over 20 years of experience as an arts leader, producer, educator, and artist. Often quoted for this mantra, “It takes a community to build an artist, whether we resist against … Continued

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We are hiring an Artistic Director

The position will be open until filled. We will review applications on May 13, 2022 Description The Artistic Director (AD) has overarching artistic control over all of Vancouver Poetry House’s programs and initiatives. The Artistic Director develops new artist directions, nurtures and coordinates the growth of VPH’s artistic vision, and … Continued

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Britta B.

Britta B. is a Toronto based award-winning artist, poet, voice actor, and educator. Her work has appeared in print, in sound, and onstage in notable spheres such as The Walrus Talks, TEDx, as well as international literature festivals, most recently being LitFest Bergen. She facilitates leadership and artist training, poetry … Continued

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What’s Happening at Vancouver Poetry House

This month Joseph Dandurand, Artistic Director at Vancouver Poetry House, will be stepping down from his position.  Joseph has been a calming, kind, and generous presence with Vancouver Poetry House for over two years. He has always approached every meeting, event, and task with a good mind and good heart. … Continued

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National Truth & Reconciliation Day

There are many options for supporting and honouring National Truth & Reconciliation Day on September 30. Some of these include: Xweýene:msta:m ?əkwəsqwel, seýeḿ (translation: call to witness/listen to respected one). This is a performance to honour Orange Shirt Day on Thursday, September 30, 2021, presented by the Vancouver Art Gallery.  … Continued

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Vancouver Poetry Slam is Back!

Monday, September 27, 8pm PST Featuring Charlie Petch https://www.eventbrite.ca/…/vancouver-poetry-house… Come share your words & magic and as a bonus, compete for cash prizes. Also compete for a chance to battle a Slam legend head to head live (details on this coming soon) If you’re like me you’ve missed this gathering … Continued

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New Publication | Cotyledon

Vancouver Poetry House is proud to announce the publication of Cotyledon, a collection of spoken word poems newly emerged into the world, still seeking their place. These gently crafted poems started as a whisper, a brave thought, or an inkling; poems that dream the world into a future we want … Continued

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Annual General Meeting

The Vancouver Poetry House Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 7, 2pm, using BlueJeans Please register to attend the meeting using eventbrite. Everyone is welcome to the AGM but only members will be able to vote.  Become a Member or Renew Please consider renewing or becoming a … Continued

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We’re hiring a Slam Coordinator

The position will be open until filled. We will review applications on July 16, 2021. Description The Slam Coordinator oversees VanSlam, a Vancouver Poetry House weekly open mic and spoken word event at Café Deux Soleils on Commercial Drive in East Vancouver. The Slam Coordinator has strong interpersonal skills, coordinates … Continued

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We are hiring a Volunteer Coordinator

The position will be open until filled. We will review applications onJuly 6, 2021. Description The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for generating and maintaining a body of volunteers for multiple events throughout the year. These include, but are not limited to, VanSlam, Verses and workshops. The roles volunteers take are … Continued

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We are hiring an Education Coordinator

The position will be open until filled. We will review applications on July 6, 2021. Description The Education Coordinator works as part of a collaborative team helping Vancouver Poetry House Society maintain and grow our WordPlay program and expand our teaching relationships with external partners. This position could be suitable … Continued

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The discovery of 215 unmarked graves on the grounds of the Kamloops Residential School has laid bare to the world the stark and painful realities of Canada’s colonial legacy. This National Indigenous History Month please consider donating to the following Indigenous-led organizations: The Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) is … Continued

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What’s Happening at Vancouver Poetry House

Communication can be challenging right now. To keep everyone informed we have put together a brief overview of work happening behind the scenes at VPH from the volunteer board.   Obviously, this year has been a struggle. Our goal is to offer as much virtual programming as possible and by … Continued

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Hullabaloo Artist Profile Nisha Patel

Nisha Patel is an award-winning queer poet & artist. She is the City of Edmonton’s Poet Laureate, and the 2019 Canadian Individual Slam Champion, and the 2021 Regional Writer in Residence with the Strathcona County Library. She is a recipient of the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award and the University … Continued

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Hullabaloo Artist Profile Apollo The Child

Khaleefa ‘Apollo the Child’ Hamdan is a spoken word poet, hip hop artist, radio host, youth worker and is the former co director of the Urban Legends Poetry Collective. Apollo created the free after school youth writing program Youth Speak with the Ottawa Public Library and he hosts the Home … Continued

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Hullabaloo Artist Profile Nisha Patel

Nisha Patel is an award-winning queer poet & artist. She is the City of Edmonton’s Poet Laureate, and the 2019 Canadian Individual Slam Champion, and the 2021 Regional Writer in Residence with the Strathcona County Library. She is a recipient of the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award and the University … Continued

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Giving Tuesday

We invite you to participate in GivingTuesday, the global day of giving.  Following the commercialism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this is a time to support charities, non-profits, and each other.  With Covid -19 shutting people and communities off from one another, the weather becoming more inclement, and the … Continued

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From Stage to Page

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

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VPH Charity Auction

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

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We Are Hiring a Programming and Communications Assistant

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

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We Are Hiring a Financial Coordinator

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

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Living Up to Core Values: Social Justice and Community

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

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Thank you

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

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Board Minutes

  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

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CIPS, registration opens on February 1

If you are a Canadian slam venue and you have a representative you want to send to CIPS, registration opens on February 1. Register on brown paper tickets, CIPS 2020 Venue Representative Registration. Not a venue representative? Storm Poet Registration opens March 1. Got questions? Contact our CIPS Director at cips@vancouverpoetryhouse.com or … Continued

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Hullabaloo Artist Profile: Ivy Edad aka Ruthless!

Ruthless is one of our All Star Slam poets for 2021.  They’ve been electrifying audiences in the Metro Vancouver area for the last year and a half and we’re excited to have them strut their stuff on Friday April 23rd as part of the vaunted All Star Slam These events … Continued

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Hullabaloo Artist Profile: Johnny D. Trinh

These events will be taking place on the unceded, ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.   Johnny will be the host of our annual word circus that is the All Star Slam.  3 different All Star Poets (Nisha Patel, Apollo The Child and Ruthless) go head to … Continued

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Artist Fee and Prize Money Increases at Slam

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

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We are hiring!

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.

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Cotyledon Chapbook | Call for Submissions

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

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Cotyledon Chapbook | Submission Period Opening Soon!

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

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Thank you Andrew

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

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Voices of Today

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

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Introducing Sam Peters | Slam Master Candidate

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

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Introducing Kelsey Straight | Slam Master Candidate

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

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New staff positions at VPH

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

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Honesty, Rigor and Attention in Spoken Word

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

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Hiring Committee

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.

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Let us know what you think

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

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June Planning Month at Vancouver Poetry House

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

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Annual General Meeting | Sunday, July 7, 1pm-4pm

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

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Rules and Format for the 2019 Summer Season

Finals: September 16, 2019 Last Chance: September 2, 2019   Rounds & Time Limits Round One: 10 poets perform a 2-minute poem Round Two: The top 6 highest-scoring poets from Round One perform a 1-minute poem Round Three: The top 3 highest-scoring poets from Round Two perform a 4-minute poem. … Continued

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Holden has joined the board!

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

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VPH Board Meeting

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

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VPH Board Meeting

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  

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EGM and the new by-laws

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

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2019 Slam Schedule

January 7 – Dia Davina – W&NB Last Chance 14 – Kevin Spenst – New Sh!t – “Let it break” 21 – Julia Gaskill – W&NB championship February 4 – Davy Jones – Regular Slam 11 – Estìqw- New Sh!t – “So now what” 18 – Ayanda – Regular Slam … Continued

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Help Wanted

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

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Help Wanted

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

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Board Meeting

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

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Hullabaloo 2019 Coming Soon!

The best time of year is fast approaching! Hullabaloo 2019 takes place from Thursday, April 25th, to Saturday, April 27th, at Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch and East Van’s Rio Theatre. As always, we’ll kick things off on Thursday night with our Spoken Word Jamboree, this year featuring Halifax’s 5th … Continued

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VanSlam WOWPS 2018 Rankings

As the national PSi – Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS) 2019 competition is not happening this year. We are still going to do finale playoffs and have the winner represent VanSlam! The basic guidelines for participation in WOWps Vancouver play-offs are that if you Self Identify as a … Continued

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Updated Season Rankings!

Those competing for team finals in April. The points for each regular slam will be as follows: 1st place – 16 points 2nd place – 9 points 3rd place – 4 points 4th place – 1 point You can review the rules and points system here Rankings Bambi – 49 … Continued

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We Value Your Suggestions

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

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Calling on Membership!

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

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Calling on the Membership!

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

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Thank you!

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!

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Thank you!

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!

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New Staff!

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.

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New Staff!

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.

full article

New Staff!

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.

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Board Meeting

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.

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Board Meeting

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.

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Thanks to All Applicants

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.

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Thanks to All Applicants

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.

full article

Thanks to All Applicants

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.

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Job Posting Closing Soon

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.)

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Job Posting Closing Soon

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.)

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Calling on Membership!

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

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Calling on Membership!

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

full article

Calling on Membership!

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

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Board Meeting Notice

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          

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VanSlam New Sh!t Challenge!

Objective: This is an opt-in challenge, meant to encourage poets to produce new poetry and bring it to VanSlam. How it will work: Monthly, during the regular slam, poets will opt-in during the first round. The theme will be decided by the previous Sh!t Slam challenge-winning poet. To qualify new … Continued

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Board Meeting Notice

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.

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Vancouver Writer’s Festival

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

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What the heck is happening at VanSlam? October 2018

Lots of stuff is happening this month with VanSlam. We’ve just had a 10-year slamaversary show for Johnny MacRae hosted by Lucia. Where Jessie Fenton came in first place in the slam winning 16 points towards team playoffs (in April), and 11 points for our woman playoffs (in January). This … Continued

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Fall/Winter 2018 Rankings

Those competing for team finals in April. The points for each regular slam will be as follows: 1st place – 16 points 2nd place – 9 points 3rd place – 4 points 4th place – 1 point You can review the rules and points system here Rankings: Emily Kelsall – … Continued

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VanSlam WOWPS 2018 Rankings

As the national PSi – Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS) 2019 competition is not happening this year. We are still going to do finale playoffs and have the winner represent VanSlam! The basic guidelines for participation in WOWps Vancouver play-offs are that if you Self Identify as a … Continued

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Policy Update

We, your Board of Directors, have been writing policy for the last month. We are now beginning the approval process. I’ve added a couple of things to the Vancouver Poetry House site. One of them is the new Complaint Process. Look under About, then Policies and Procedures. New things will … Continued

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Policy Update

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

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Reframing Relations Workshop Oct 20th

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

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Policy Update

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

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Outstanding Teams!

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

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Outstanding Talent!

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.

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Be Welcome!

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

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Thank You!

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

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Summer 2018 Rankings

Finals will happen on September 3rd, 2018. The winner will go to the Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS) in San Diego from Oct 10 to 13. As well as being the VanSlam rep for Verses Festival of Words in April 2019. The point system for each night will look like … Continued

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EGM Update

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

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EGM Announcement and Call for Nominations

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

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VPH Board Member Job Description

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

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Call for VPH Board Member Nominations

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

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Call for VPH Board Member positions…it could be you!

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 nomination”. … Continued

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Youth Poetry Slam Coordinator Applications are now open

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 the Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam. This includes booking, paying and hosting (or … Continued

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Youth Slam Coordinator Position Applications are open

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

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Vancouver Poetry House 2018 AGM is Sunday July 15th

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

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Vancouver Poetry House 2018 AGM Sunday July 15th

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

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Word Camp Applications Extended to MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY!

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

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Last Weekend for Word Camp 2018 Applications!

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

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Wordplay Poets Coordinator Job Posting

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

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Wordplay Poets Coordinator Job Posting

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 of venues every year, everything from high schools to writers’ … Continued

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We invite your feedback …

Dear artists, participants, volunteers, and audience members! Now that the dust has had a chance to settle on Verses Festival of Words 2018, we hope that you have had some time to unwind and let your experience sink in. We cannot thank the artists enough for their contributions to this … Continued

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Word Camp Applications Open for Artists Aged 18 to 24!

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

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2 Days Left to Apply for Word Camp!

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

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Vancouver Poetry Slam Elections May 27th

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

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Vancouver Poetry Slam Elections

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

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Verses Festival 2018 Expresses Our Gratitude …

Before it gets too far in the past, we want to express our immense gratitude to all the poets, storytellers, musicians, and volunteers who made #VSFestival18 the beautiful thing that it was. And thank you also to all the various venues’ staff, and the people who came out to the shows, and … Continued

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LAUNCH Festival Applications

Former Vancouver Poetry Slam Team Member, Barbara Adler, is heading up the search for recruits for the upcoming LAUNCH Festival. It’s open to emerging artists of all disciplines, including Spoken Word (poetry, stand up, storytelling, etc) Deadline to apply is May 18th, 2018. The Festival is in June. Here is … Continued

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Full Festival Program Page 2

Below is a web version of page 2 of our #VSFestival18 program. Click on it so that you can move around in it.  Navigation ease may vary according to your device. Print versions of this program will be available as soon as Monday, April 16 at Van Poetry Slam at … Continued

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Hot Brown Honey is right

A few months back,  a dynamic show called Hot Brown Honey stopped on tour here in Vancouver. (If you should ever get the chance to attend, by all means, take it.) One of the fundamental principles of the production is a raucous chant: “The revolution cannot happen without childcare!” The Verses Festival team … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (March 19th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (March 12th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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One! More! Show!

The first sell out of Verses Festival of Words 2018 is confirmed! The 12:30 PM Hullabaloo All Star Slam on April 20th sold out more than six weeks in advance. So we’re offering a 9:30 AM showing as well!!!  But you have to move fast: we announced the AM show … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (March 5th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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What the Storm blew in

“No sweeter sound than justice through poetry!” – Pat Storm One of the more ubiquitous phrases you hear at most national individual poetry slam competitions these days is “Storm Poet.” But what does that term refer to? Time for multiple choice! A) A reference to “storming the barricades” of poetry … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (February 19th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (February 12th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Looking for Sponsors for Verses Festival of Words 2018!

Sponsors, we invite you to be part of Verses Festival of Words​ 2018! Whether you can fuel the fire that is #vs18 with financial or in-kind donations, please contact our 2018 Sponsorship Coordinator Duncan Parizeau at VersesSponsorship@gmail.com for more information. Or check out our guide for sponsors here: http://bit.ly/2BiIUHR Volunteers, If you would … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (February 5th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (January 29th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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2018 WOWPS PLAYOFFS

WOWPS Playoff scores determine the poet who will represent Vancouver in the Women Of the World Poetry Slam in Dallas, TX. WOWPS is open to all women, non binary and gender non-conforming folks. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (January 15th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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2018 WOWPS Last Chance Slam – Scores

Sac: Azul Catherine Garrett  (1)  25.2 Julie B (2) 25.8 Leslie Stark (3) 26.6 (3) 25.7 = 52.3 FOURTH! Natalie Zakon (4) 26.6 + (4) 26.4 = 53 THIRD! Tasha Receno (5) 28.9 + (2) 26.2 = 55.1 FIRST! Lindi Nolte (6) 26.8 + (1) 27.3 = 54.1 SECOND! Jenifer … Continued

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Be part of the 2018 Verses team!

We are now looking for a Volunteer Coordinator for the 2018 Verses Festival of Words. This is a volunteer position with an honorarium for the person who joins us in this important role. Without volunteers, there would be no Verses, and without a Coordinator, volunteers —  as much as they want … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (December 18th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (December 11th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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2017/18 Youth Poetry Slam Standings (so far)

Now that the regular slam season is done the final standings have been tallied. Our playoffs are on March 26th at Cafe Deux Soleils. Everyone with an asterisk * beside their name has slammed more than once so far this season. All poets are asked to compete at least twice … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (December 4th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (November 20th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (November 13th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (November 6th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (October 30th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (October 16th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (October 9th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (October 2nd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/ Winter Season 2017-18 (September 18th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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New VPH President and Board Members 2017

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

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VanSlam Summer Season Aug (21st) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season Aug (14th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season Aug (7th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season July (31st) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season July (17th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season July (10th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season July (3rd) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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2017 AGM

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

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VanSlam Summer Season June (19th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season June (12th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season June (5th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 29th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 15th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 8th) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 1st) 2017

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Accessibility update – The Body Is Not An Apology

  To our valued festival goers, Sadly, and despite best efforts by many involved in the organization and execution of the event, tonight’s The Body Is Not An Apology showcase will not feature ASL interpretation. We will instead have performed pieces being projected for the audience. We recognize this as … Continued

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The Body Is Not an Apology: Sonya

The Body Is Not An Apology Sonya Renee Taylor and Denise Jolly (7 – 9 pm The Cultch Historic Theatre; $15 in advance / $20 door) An international movement cultivating global Radical Self Love and Body Empowerment. Believing that discrimination, social inequality, and injustice are manifestations of our inability to … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Mar 20 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Mar 13 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (March 6th 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Registration for 2017 CIPS Storm Poets Opens Noon March 4

Registration for Storm Poets (poets not representing a particular venue) opens Saturday, March 4 at noon PST. We are excited that you are coming to Vancouver to compete in the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship!! CIPS occurs between April 26th and April 29th during the 2017 Verses Festival of Words. … Continued

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ANOTHER All Star Slam!?

That’s right!  We’re having TWO All Star Slams at Hullabaloo 2017! Our 12:30 PM show sold out yesterday, and due to continuing interest, we’ve decided to have an early All Star Slam at 9:30 AM. Hosted by Regina’s Johnny Trinh, the 2017 edition of the All Star Slam sees Charlie C Petch from Toronto, Dana … Continued

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VPH has redecorated

Vancouver Poetry House has a new coat of paint. VPH would like to welcome Victoria Haynes as our new Executive Director. Victoria is bursting with ideas and blueprints to help us redecorate both inside and out. Victoria is also adept at climbing ladders and hanging ferns. They also have a … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Feb 20 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Feb 13th 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Feb 6th 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Hullabaloo Returns: April 20 to 22

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

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CIPS Venue Rep Registration Opens Tomorrow!

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

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Hullabaloo Returns: April 20 to 22

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

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Jan 30th 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Jan 16 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Jan 09 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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The 10 Best Poems of 2016

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

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Jan 02 2017)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Verses 2017 Artist Application Form

Verses Festival of Words, Canada’s largest alternative literary festival, is back for another fabulous year! In 2017, Verses takes place from April 20th – 30th. The festival includes spoken word, storytelling, poetry, and music. We invite people interested in featuring at Verses 2017 to fill out the Artist Application Form below … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Dec 19th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Dec 12th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Dec 5th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works when qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Nov 21st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works when qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Nov 14th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works when qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Nov 14th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works when qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Nov 7th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works when qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Nov 7th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works when qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Oct 31st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works when qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Oct 17th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Oct 17th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Oct 10th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Oct 3rd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Sept 19th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Fall/Winter Season 2016-17 (Sept 19th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Last Chance Slam WINNER!!- (Sept 12th 2016)

Congratulations to the winner of tonight’s Last Chance Slam, Johnny MacRae, who will be competing alongside a phenomenal line-up of  poets this Wednesday September 14th at Cafe Deux Soleils to determine which poet will be crowned the Vancouver Poetry Slam’s Individual Slam Champion. The winner of Wednesday’s slam will go … Continued

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Last Chance Slam WINNER!!- (Sept 12th 2016)

Congratulations to the winner of tonight’s Last Chance Slam, Johnny MacRae, who will be competing alongside a phenomenal line-up of  poets this Wednesday September 14th at Cafe Deux Soleils to determine which poet will be crowned the Vancouver Poetry Slam’s Individual Slam Champion. The winner of Wednesday’s slam will go … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Sept. 5th) 2016

Congratulations to all who competed in our summer season! On Sept 5th we reached the last regular slam of the summer season which will determine the poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Sept. 5th) 2016

Congratulations to all who competed in our summer season! On Sept 5th we reached the last regular slam of the summer season which will determine the poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Aug 29th) 2016

So! Our summer qualifying season is drawing to an end and will soon determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Aug 29th) 2016

So! Our summer qualifying season is drawing to an end and will soon determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Aug 15th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Aug 8th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Aug 1st) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (Aug 1st) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Executive Director Job Posting

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

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VanSlam Summer Season (July 18th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (July 11th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (July 11th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (July 4th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (July 4th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (June 20th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (June 20th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (June 13th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slamshttp://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become clear … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (June 6th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 30th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 30th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 16th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 9th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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VanSlam Summer Season (May 9th) 2016

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Vancouver Poetry House AGM May 21st

Vancouver Poetry House is the umbrella organization that looks after the Vancouver Poetry Slam, the Youth Poetry Slam, Wordplay, The Verses Festival of Words and Hullabaloo and every year there is an AGM to potentially add new board members to VPH as well as hear what’s going on with the … Continued

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Vancouver Poetry House AGM May 21st

Vancouver Poetry House is the umbrella organization that looks after the Vancouver Poetry Slam, the Youth Poetry Slam, Wordplay, The Verses Festival of Words and Hullabaloo and every year there is an AGM to potentially add new board members to VPH as well as hear what’s going on with the … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2016 (May 2nd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2016 (May 2nd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Annual General Meeting

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

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Van Slam Finals Night 2016

So! The 2015-16 season ended on Monday the 25th of April in spectacular fashion at the historic WISE Hall and now we have a team. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they … Continued

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Van Slam Finals Night 2016

So! The 2015-16 season ended on Monday the 25th of April in spectacular fashion at the historic WISE Hall and now we have a team. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they … Continued

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VAN SLAM SEMI FINALS #2 April 18th 2016

So! Tonight was the second SEMI-FINALS for 2016 season of the Vancouver Poetry Slam. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round and their second round score, followed … Continued

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VAN SLAM SEMI FINALS #2 April 18th 2016

So! Tonight was the second SEMI-FINALS for 2016 season of the Vancouver Poetry Slam. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round and their second round score, followed … Continued

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VAN SLAM SEMI FINALS #1 April 11th 2016

So! Tonight was the first SEMI-FINALS for 2016 season of the Vancouver Poetry Slam. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round and their second round score, followed … Continued

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Verses Festival of Words Bus Shelter Contest

Hidden in the mists of the coastal city of Vancouver, between UBC Bus Loop and Boundary Road, there are 10 posters for the upcoming Verses Festival of Words displaying proudly in Translink bus shelters. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take a photo with each of … Continued

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LAST CHANCE SLAM April 4th 2016

So! Tonight was the LAST CHANCE SLAM in which the winner is given a slot in semi-finals. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round (if they made … Continued

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LAST CHANCE SLAM April 4th 2016

So! Tonight was the LAST CHANCE SLAM in which the winner is given a slot in semi-finals. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round (if they made … Continued

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Verses Festival of Words Active Listeners

In spoken word, be it storytelling or poetry, performers often touch on topics that may be upsetting or challenging to the listener. It is important to us at Verses Festival of Words that we not only take care of the performers who share those difficult stories, but also our audiences. … Continued

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Vancouver Poetry House Staff Picks for March

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

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (March 21st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (March 21st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (March 14th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (March 14th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (March 7th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (March 7th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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2020 All Star Slam Tickets On Sale!!

This event will be taking place in the unceded, ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Wautuh peoples. That’s right!  Tickets are available for the Hullabaloo All Star Slam! For 2020 We have a brand new location and day for the annual All Star Slam.  This year we’ll be at … Continued

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CIPS Competitors 2016

The competitors for the 2016 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam are in, and it’s looking like it’s going to be an incredible year! Below in alphabetical order are the names of the 40 poets who will be competing for the title of Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion! Best of luck to … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (February 29th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (February 15th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (February 15th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (February 8th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (February 8th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Hullabaloo 2016: School Registration Now Open!

Team registration for Hullabaloo 2016 is now open. It is on a first-come, first-served basis, along with consideration for regional representation around BC. We are planning to admit only 16 teams to this year’s tournament, so it’s a good idea to register sooner than later. We offer pre-registration to teams … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (February 1st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (February 1st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Vancouver Poetry House Staff Picks for February

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

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (January 18th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (January 18th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Vancouver Women’s Poetry Slam Finals 2016 (Jan 13th)

Tonight was the Vancouver Women’s Poetry Slam Finals in which 9 women and non-binary poets competed for the chance to represent Vancouver in Brooklyn at the Women of the World Poetry Slam. After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round … Continued

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LAST CHANCE Vancouver Women’s Poetry Slam (January 11th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (January 4th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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The 10 Best Poems of 2015

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?

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DMP features at the Van Slam

The Vancouver poetry house presents feature poet, DMP. Daniel Mark Patterson (DMP) is a Spoken Word Artist who is not easy to define. He writes confessional, heartbreaking poetry, but is not a depressing poet. Sometimes he writes funny, irreverent poetry, but he is not a comedic poet. He is a … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (December 21st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (December 14th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Youth Poetry Slam Dec 28th featuring Maya Hersh

In between Christmas and New Year’s Eve can be a dead zone for many people. So if you’re feeling haggard and on low batteries come and recharge and reinvigorate at December’s youth poetry slam. It’s open to poets 13-20 years of age. There are 2 rounds of competition with 12 … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (December 7th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (December 7th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Verses 2016 Artist Application Form

Great news! Verses Festival of Words is back for another exciting year! All parties interested in featuring in the 2016 Verses Festival of Words taking place from April 21st to May 1st in Vancouver should fill out the following application form. All artists wishing to be considered should submit the … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 30th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 30th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Welcoming Our New Slam Master

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

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 16th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 16th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 9th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 9th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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2015/2016 Youth Slam Standings

The latest results following the January 25th youth slam have been updated. The top 8 scoring poets make it into the youth slam finals on March 28th at the WISE Hall. To qualify for the playoffs you MUST SLAM/COMPETE AT LEAST TWICE during the season (July 2015-Feb 2016) and you … Continued

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2015/2016 Youth Slam Standings

The latest results following the January 25th youth slam have been updated. The top 8 scoring poets make it into the youth slam finals on March 28th at the WISE Hall. To qualify for the playoffs you MUST SLAM/COMPETE AT LEAST TWICE during the season (July 2015-Feb 2016) and you … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 2nd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (November 2nd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (October 19th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (October 19th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (October 12th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (October 12th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Slam Master Job Posting

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

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (October 5th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (September 21st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Fall/Winter Season 2015-16 (September 14th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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2015 Van Slam Individual Playoffs!

So! The 2015 summer season drew to a close tonight and Coral More is the 2015 Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The structure for tonight was four rounds.  1-min, … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (September 7th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (August 31st)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (August 17th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (August 10th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (August 10th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (August 3rd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (August 3rd)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (July 20th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (July 20th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (July 13th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (July 13th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (July 6th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (July 6th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Welcome New Executive Director, Erin Kirsh!

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

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (June 29th)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (June 15th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (June 15th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (June 8th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (June 8th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (June 1st 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (June 1st 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (May 18th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (May 18th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Executive Director Job Posting

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

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (May 11th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (May 11th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Season 2015 (May 4th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Individual Champion. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for the summer slams http://vanslam.ca/2014/11/11/rules-and-format-for-the-summer-season-at-van-slam/ The points system should become … Continued

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Note Concerning Haiku Deathmatch

Verses Festival of Words would like to extend an apology to those who were adversely affected by last night’s late event at Café Deux Soleils. While we are in full support of people feeling empowered enough to display their bodies in whatever way they feel comfortable, and in no way … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (April 27th 2015)

So! The 2014-15 season ended on Monday the 27th of April in spectacular fashion and now we have a team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ After the poet’s name is the order that they … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (April 22nd 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ Tonight was the second of … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (April 20th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ Tonight was the first of … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (April 13th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ Tonight was the LAST CHANCE … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (April 6th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (April 6th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (March 30th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (March 30th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (March 16th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (March 16th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (March 9th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (March 9th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (Mar 2nd 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (Mar 2nd 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Accessibility for the 2015 Verses Festival

Hello festival goers, Our next festival is right around the corner and we are incredibly excited to let you in on all of the wonderful things to come in Verses 2015. One area which has remained a main focus for us, as well as a great learning experience from year … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (February 16th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (February 16th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (February 9th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (February 2nd 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Updated Youth Slam Standings following the January 26th 2015 show

Results after January 26th 2015 youth slam   01st)  58.7  Emma Field       winning 16 points 02nd)  58.1  Natalie Zalkon   winning 09 points 03rd)  57.5  Silling Zhang      winning 05 points 04th)  57.4  Catherine Vander Velden   winning 03 points 05th)  55.1  Mackenzie              winning 01 point   Overall totals following January’s youth slam.  … Continued

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School Registration Open for Hullabaloo 2015

Team registration for Hullabaloo 2015 is now open. It is on a first-come, first-served basis, along with consideration for regional representation around BC. We are planning to admit only 16 teams to this year’s tournament, so it’s a good idea to register sooner than later. We offer pre-registration to teams … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (January 19th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ The points system should become … Continued

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Van Slam WOWPS Playoff Scores 2015

Okay! So the Vancouver WOWPS Playoffs were last night and they were amazing! An incredible group of women slammed and the amazing Natasha T Miller was our feature. Congratulations to Jillian Christmas, our 2015 Vancouver WOWPS Rep who will be traveling to Albuquerque New Mexico in March to represent us. … Continued

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Van Slam WOWPS Playoff Scores 2015

Okay! So the Vancouver WOWPS Playoffs were last night and they were amazing! An incredible group of women slammed and the amazing Natasha T Miller was our feature. Congratulations to Jillian Christmas, our 2015 Vancouver WOWPS Rep who will be traveling to Albuquerque New Mexico in March to represent us. … Continued

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WOWPS Last Chance Slam Scores (2015)

Okay! So the WOWPS Last Chance Slam was on Monday and our winner was the amazing and talented Lindi Nolte! For those that are into such things, here are the scores: 12th January 2015 Sac: Vanessa McGowan 26.6 Natalie Zakon (1) 26.6 + (3) 28.1 = 54.7 Third! Liz Panda … Continued

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WOWPS Last Chance Slam Scores (2015)

Okay! So the WOWPS Last Chance Slam was on Monday and our winner was the amazing and talented Lindi Nolte! For those that are into such things, here are the scores: 12th January 2015 Sac: Vanessa McGowan 26.6 Natalie Zakon (1) 26.6 + (3) 28.1 = 54.7 Third! Liz Panda … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (January 5th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (January 5th 2015)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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The 10 Best Poems of 2014

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.

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End the year helping Hullabaloo!

Hello The year is coming to a quick close and the pressure to do things is mounting even higher.  If one of the things you’ve overlooked doing is beefing up the Charitable Donation portion of your income tax deductions you still have a couple of days to do it.  If … Continued

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End the year helping Hullabaloo!

Hello The year is coming to a quick close and the pressure to do things is mounting even higher.  If one of the things you’ve overlooked doing is beefing up the Charitable Donation portion of your income tax deductions you still have a couple of days to do it.  If … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (December 29th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (December 29th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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New Venue for Hullabaloo 2015 & a New Youth Slam

Vancouver Poetry House has struck a new partnership for Hullabaloo 2015 with the Vancouver Public Library. All events will be held at the central branch in the gorgeous Alice McKay and Peter Kaye rooms – and all shows will be free! We are excited to have such a fantastic downtown location … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (December 15th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam Winter Season 2014-15 (December 15th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (December 8th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (December 8th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (December 1st 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (December 1st 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Updated Youth Slam Standing after November’s results

It’s been neck and neck all season for the top of the regular season standings between Emma Field and Alex Montinola.  After November’s results, Emma is back on top but not by much.  Andrew Warner also enters the fray along with Coral Moore and Natalie Zakon moves up the charts. … Continued

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Updated Youth Slam Standing after November’s results

It’s been neck and neck all season for the top of the regular season standings between Emma Field and Alex Montinola.  After November’s results, Emma is back on top but not by much.  Andrew Warner also enters the fray along with Coral Moore and Natalie Zakon moves up the charts. … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (November 17th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (November 17th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Century Tracker Master List (updated weekly)

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for June 8th Alkemy Roseblade 1. Fit 2. When the Wolf Comes Knocking 3. Feedback Loops 4. The Eyes of a Scientist 5. Pedestal 6. Home For The Holidays (Slamathon) 7. My Hands (slamathon) Amnesia Jane Smith 1. Laugh Out Loud (Anarchy Slam) 2. Poet’s Anthem … Continued

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Rules and Format for the Summer Season at Van Slam

Rules and Format for the Summer Season at Van Slam Round One: 12 poets perform a poem within a 2-minute time limit. Round Two: The top 6 highest-scoring poets from Round One perform a poem within a 1-minute time limit. Round Three: The top 3 highest-scoring poets from Round Two … Continued

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Rules and Format for the Summer Season at Van Slam

Rules and Format for the Summer Season at Van Slam Round One: 12 poets perform a poem within a 2-minute time limit. Round Two: The top 6 highest-scoring poets from Round One perform a poem within a 1-minute time limit. Round Three: The top 3 highest-scoring poets from Round Two … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (November 10th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (November 10th 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Information regarding annual WOWPS Playoffs

The Vancouver Poetry Slam will be sending a representative to the annual Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS) every year. The basic guidelines for participation in WOWps Vancouver play-offs is that if you live your life as a woman, and you consider yourself a woman then you are eligible. … Continued

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Information regarding annual WOWPS Playoffs

The Vancouver Poetry Slam will be sending a representative to the annual Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS) every year. The basic guidelines for participation in WOWps Vancouver play-offs is that if you live your life as a woman, and you consider yourself a woman then you are eligible. … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (November 3rd 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Van Slam 2014 Winter Season 2014-15 (November 3rd 2014)

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. You can read about how it works for qualifying for Team Playoffs here: http://vanslam.ca/winter-season-rules-and-format-how-to-qualify-for-team-playoffs/ And about how it works … Continued

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Youth Slam Standings (3 months worth)

From July to February youth poets between the ages of 13-20 compete to earn points that will qualify them for the youth team playoffs in March 2015. To qualify you must compete in a youth slam at least twice during the season and you CANNOT be turning 21 before September … Continued

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Van Slam 2014-15 Winter Season: Standings and Scores

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fifth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

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Van Slam 2014-15 Winter Season: Standings and Scores

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fifth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

full article

Van Slam 2014-15 Winter Season: Standings and Scores

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fifth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

full article

Van Slam 2014-15 Winter Season: Standings and Scores

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fifth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

full article

Van Slam 2014-15 Winter Season: Standings and Scores

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fifth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

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Van Slam 2014-15 Winter Season: Standings and Scores

So! A new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fifth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

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Century Tracker (Sept 10th 2014)

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for Sept 10th Abigail Feresten 1. Tarantula Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human … Continued

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Century Tracker (Sept 10th 2014)

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for Sept 10th Abigail Feresten 1. Tarantula Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (Sept 10th 2014) IWPS PLAYOFF

The summer season for 2014 has come to a close and we have determined which poet is the next representative for Vancouver. Congratulations to Emilee Nimetz, our 2014 representative for the Individual World Poetry Slam and the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Here are the results from the IWPS Playoffs on … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (Sept 10th 2014) IWPS PLAYOFF

The summer season for 2014 has come to a close and we have determined which poet is the next representative for Vancouver. Congratulations to Emilee Nimetz, our 2014 representative for the Individual World Poetry Slam and the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Here are the results from the IWPS Playoffs on … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standing (Sept 1st 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standing (Sept 1st 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (August 18th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September.   A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be … Continued

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Century Tracker (August 13th 2014)

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for August 13th Abigail Feresten 1. Tarantula Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (August 11th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (August 11th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (August 4th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (August 4th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Canadian takes home 1st place at the World Cup of Poetry

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

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Van Slam Summer Standings (July 21st 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (July 21st 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Summer Slam Standings (July 14th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Summer Slam Standings (July 7th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Century Challenge Tracker (July 7th)

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for July 7th Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human Hand 10. Jezebel Rising … Continued

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Century Challenge Update June 30th 2014

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for June 30th 2014 Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human Hand 10. Jezebel … Continued

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Century Challenge Update June 30th 2014

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for June 30th 2014 Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human Hand 10. Jezebel … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (July 30th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings (July 30th 2014)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Audience Survey for 2014 Festival

The 2014 Verses Festival of Words wrapped just two months ago and the festival team is already hard at work planning for 2015. Last year’s festival was the most successful yet with over 80 artists performing at over 30 events. The last three days were fully sold out, including over … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standing June 16th 2014

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standing June 16th 2014

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings June 9th 2014

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings June 9th 2014

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings June 2nd 2014

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings June 2nd 2014

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings 2014 (May 19th)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings 2014 (May 19th)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Century Tracker (May 14th 2012)

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for May 14th 2014 Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human Hand 10. Jezebel … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standing 2014 (May 12th)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Century Tracker (May 5th 2014)

(In Alphabetical Order) Update for May 5th 2014 Alessandra Naccarato 1. Traits of Magical Creatures 2. At Least You’re a Poet 3. You’re Not Invited 4. Praise Be 5. Bold Flower Growing 6. Dear Chickenosaurus 7. Evolution 8. These Are My Heirlooms 9. Bones in the Human Hand 10. Jezebel … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings 2014 (May 5th)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Day One Team Results & First Underground Indies Champ

Astorino’s and The Prophouse Café were bouncing with excitement. After the first day of the team competition, the standings look like this: All the school teams have given themselves funky nicknames, as you can tell. The teams are ranked by their placing in each bout. The first level tiebreaker is … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings 2014 (April 21st)

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Van Slam Summer Standings 2014

A new qualifying season is underway to determine which poet will have a chance to become the next Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Vancouver. The IWPS slam off will be in mid-September. A full explanation of the rules and format of the Van Slam Summer Season can be found … Continued

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Verses Festival of Words Closes with a Slam!

By Maegan Thomas Verses Festival of Words is on now celebrating the transformative power of words: poetic, musical, comedic and all the genres in between and a few not yet invented. “I love that Verses…brings together so many different styles of poetry and such an array of voices and talents.” … Continued

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Finalists Chosen for CIPS 2014

The preliminary bouts are over and from the original field of 40 slam poets, 12 have advanced to the Finals, tonight at The Rio Theatre. The finalists competing to be the 2014 Canadian Individual Slam Champion will be: Andre Prefontaine Dia Davina Dana ID Matthews IF Sir Realist Liam Coady … Continued

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Annual General Meeting on May 25th

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

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Making a More Accessible Festival

Dear Verses Festival Goers (And Vancouver community members)   If you have not yet seen the event posted, we would like to invite you to come out to Havana Theatre today at 3:00 pm to participate in a community conversation happening around the topic of physical and social accessibility within arts communities. … Continued

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Q&A with the cast of “What Rhymes with LOL?”

By: Maegan Thomas Verses Festival of Words is on April 5-12 on Commercial Drive, the heart – and funny bone – of Vancouver’s spoken word community. They ask the question for the ages What Rhymes with LOL? at at Havana Theatre April 8. Contributors to the recently launched Poetry Is … Continued

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Scores for Van Slam Finals Night 2014

Here are the scores for Vancouver Poetry FINALS NIGHT Congratulations to Jillian Christmas, Al Mader, Duncan Shields, Hannah Johson, and Zaccheus Jackson, this year’s 2014 Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. Sacrifice1: Andrew Warner 22.0 Sacrifice2: Dana ID Matthews 25.5 Sebastien Wen (1) 23.9 + (8 ) 24.4 + (7) 27.0 = … Continued

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The Verses Festival of Words 2014 Media Round-Up #1

What a week this has been for the Verses Festival – and the party doesn’t officially start until Saturday! Everyone is talking about the festival and tickets are selling like crazy. In case you’ve missed any of the media articles, alerts, and pre-festival attention the events and the artists have … Continued

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Scores for Van Slam Semi Finals #2

Here are the scores for Vancouver Poetry Slam Semi Finals #2 Congratulations to Hannah Johnson, Zaccheus Jackson, Al Mader, and Sebastien Wen, our four poets moving on to the Finals Night on April 5th at Astorino’s Sacrifice: Ayda 24.6 Rupert Common (1) 25.0 + (8 ) 25.8 = 50.8 5th … Continued

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Scores for Van Slam Semi Finals #1

Vancouver Poetry Slam Semi Finals #1 Congratulations to Dia Davina, Duncan Shields, Jillian Christmas, and Esme Stumborg, the four finalists heading on to Finals Night at Astorino’s on April 5th. Sacrifice: Matt Loeb Esme Stumborg (1) 24.4 + (8 ) 27.3 = 51.7 4th! Jess Tollestrup (2) 24.3 + (7) … Continued

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Watch this! A new interview with d’bi young!

Get ready to share this will everyone you know! In this latest interview, the incomparable d’bi young talks about art, activism and love. Click here to watch it! Want more d’bi? Better come to the Verses Festival and get your tickets to Sounds Like Fire and the Spoken Word Masterclass … Continued

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Van Slam Standing (Mar 17th 2014)

The Last Chance Slam was last night and it was a nail-biting finish with mostly new people. A fantastic evening. Here’s how it all shook out. 17th March, 2014 Sac: Emilee Nimetz 25.7 Dave Track (1) 24.1 Esme Stumborg (2) 24.9 + (3) 26.7 = 51.6! First! Allegra (3) 22.9 … Continued

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Listen to Al Mader on Shout, Clap, Slam!

Vancouver poet Al Mader is no stranger to Verses or the Van Slam family, in fact he is appearing in the “Shut the Front Door” show with a number of other awesome spoken word artists. We know how hard it is to wait until April, so you can get your … Continued

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A(nother) interview with Ivan Coyote!

The good news keeps on coming! We are super excited to share another interview with Ivan Coyote who is part of the duo (with Rae Spoon) that makes up Gender Failure. You can read about it here! If you haven’t bought your tickets for Gender Failure, you can get them … Continued

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Van Slam Standings (Mar 10th, 2014)

So! a new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fourth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

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Van Slam Standings (March 3rd, 2014)

So! a new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fourth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

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Read an Excerpt from Gender Failure!

One of our most highly anticipated shows – Gender Failure – has already been touring festivals for a little while, but Verses is happy to host the official book launch! The festival is only a month away, but if you can’t wait for that, you can click here to read … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Cheryl Maddalena

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Cheryl Maddalena Hails from: Boise, Idaho Best … Continued

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Poets in the Press: Zaccheus Jackson

Check out this great interview of Zaccheus Jackson with Grounded Magazine: “Through that act of attrition by getting up there and just saying those words I made myself accountable to my community. And so I don’t have a shadow of a doubt that spoken word and this community right here, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Zaccheus Jackson

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Zaccheus Jackson Hails from: Vancouver, British Columbia … Continued

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The Verses Festival Bus Shelter Photo Contest!

This year, we are kicking our advertising efforts up a notch with awesome bus shelter ads all around the city! In addition – we are holding a photo contest and the prizes are Verses tickets and Festival Passes!! There are 10 ads in total which will be up starting from … Continued

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Van Slam Standings (February 17th, 2014)

So! a new qualifying season is underway to determine which 5 poets will have a chance to become the next Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s crucial to understand the points system. This is the fourth year that we’re using it. You can read about how it works for qualifying for … Continued

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Festival Schedule Released!

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! 8 days and over 80 poets – the BIGGEST Verses Festival of Words  is coming to Vancouver April 5-12th with 34 events. Who’s going to be there, you ask? What kind of events are we talking about? CLICK HERE TO … Continued

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Van Slam Standings (Feb 3, 2014)

After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round (if they made the cut) and their second round score, followed by their total score for the evening. 3rd February, … Continued

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Youth Slam Standings (Jan 27, 2014)

The January 27th youth slam kicked off our 7th year of running this show, the longest running youth slam in Canada, in fine style with our feature, Lishai and some more new poets coming out and wowing the audience. We also had 50-70 people lined up outside hoping to get … Continued

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Van Slam Standings (Jan 13, 2014)

After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round (if they made the cut) and their second round score, followed by their total score for the evening. 13th January … Continued

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Registration Opens for Hullabaloo 2014

Registration for the 4th annual Hullabaloo is now open. The festival will run April 24–26 at Astorino’s, a venue run by our new sponsor, the Brittania Community Centre. It will be filled with amazing feature poets, workshops, All-Star Slams, 16 teams of youth poets, and plenty of community spirit! Teams … Continued

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WordPlay Brochure for 2014

Want more info on WordPlay Poetry-in-Schools? Check out the new WordPlay Brochure .pdf for info on events, poets, rates, and all the amazing workshops and assembly performances that you can bring to your school. To book WordPlay poets, email Johnny MacRae at wordplaypoets@gmail.com

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Youth Slam Standings (after Nov 2013)

A reminder that all poets who make the second round at the youth slam earn points towards making the youth slam playoffs on FRIDAY MARCH 21st.  There are also 2 key eligibility requirements for making the youth team.  You MUST SLAM AT LEAST TWICE during the season and you CANNOT … Continued

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Van Slam Standings (after Dec 16, 2013)

After the poet’s name is the order that they performed in the first round, then their first round score. After that is the position they performed in the second round (if they made the cut) and their second round score, followed by their total score for the evening. 16th December … Continued

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Dates Announced for Hullabaloo 2014

Hullabaloo returns for its 4th annual youth spoken word festival on April 24–26 at Vancouver’s Brittania Community Centre. This centre is at the heart of Vancouver’s spoken word community on Commercial Drive. All teams that registered for Hullabaloo 2013 will be given a chance to pre-register for Hullabaloo 2014 from … Continued

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Apply to be an Artist at Verses 2014

Applications are open for artists interested in featuring at the 2014 Verses Festival of Words. Next year’s festival will take place April 5–12, 2014 at venues surrounding Vancouver’s Commercial Drive neighbourhood. We’re looking for writers from all genres, especially those who are practicing in unconventional areas of the oral–literary spectrum. … Continued

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Van Slam Finals

Congratulations to all of our poets who performed last night, and particularly to the 2013 Van Slam team, Floyd, Erin Kirsh, Jillian Christmas, Duncan Shields, and Zaccheus Jackson. One of the strongest Van slam finals of all time. Here, read a recap. Thanks also to our brilliant feature Truth Is, … Continued

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HUSH Magazine: Making a case for slam poetry

Check out this article on slam poetry by HUSH Magazine: Slam Poetry. Performance Poetry. Spoken Word.  Upon hearing these words, you might think of the following: A room full of solemn, mime-like creatures dressed in black berets and turtlenecks. Rhythmic snapping in time with the slow drone of a poet … Continued

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Aaannnnnndddd we’re off!

After much travail and bated breath, the day is finally here! That’s right, the 2013 Verses Festival of Words kicks off tonight with the Vancouver Poetry Slam Finals Night at the Rio Theatre. You can follow along with all the fun on the blog, or you can find us on … Continued

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Word of the week: Furore

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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Final Team Standings

After Amy Everhart received a standing ovation for her feature set, we finished up the festival with the Team Finals bout. The scores were very tight and the poetry was on point. In the end, this is how it shook out: First place: Words Worth Wording (aka Port Moody Secondary) … Continued

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Past Tense: William Shakespeare

A weekly post featuring poems by innovators who continue to inspire the artists who will take the stage at Verses Festival of Words. Sonnet 100 by William Shakespeare Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget’st so long To speak of that which gives thee all thy might? Spend’st thou thy … Continued

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Rankings after Day Two

The bouts keep getting more intense as we approach the end of prelims. Here are the final team rankings. The four teams in bold advance to Team Finals Night. The first number is the team’s finish in their first bout, the second number is their finish in the second bout. … Continued

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Rankings after Day One

Wow. It has been a heckuva Hullabaloo. Here are the standings after day one. The first number represents the ranking in the school’s bout. The second number is the point differential the team was from winning their bout, which is only important in a tie-breaking situation. Pearson College – 1 (0.0) … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Sheri-D Wilson

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Sheri-D Wilson Hails from: Calgary, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Regie Cabico

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Regie Cabico Hails from: New … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Veda Hille

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Veda Hille Hails from: Vancouver, … Continued

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Word of the Week: Balderdash

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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Past Tense: Al Purdy

A weekly post featuring poems by innovators who continue to inspire the artists who will take the stage at Verses Festival of Words. Listening to Myself by Al Purdy see myself staggering through deep snow lugging blocks of wood yesterday an old man almost falling from bodily weakness — look … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: CR Avery

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: CR Avery Hails from: Vancouver, … Continued

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Word of the Week: Oblige

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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Past Tense: Elizabeth Bishop

A weekly post featuring poems by innovators who continue to inspire the artists who will take the stage at Verses Festival of Words. Argument by Elizabeth Bishop Days that cannot bring you near or will not, Distance trying to appear something more obstinate, argue argue argue with me endlessly neither … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Truth is…

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Truth is… Hails from: Toronto, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Wayde Compton

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Wayde Compton Hails from: Vancouver, … Continued

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Word of the Week: Fraught

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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Past Tense: WB Yeats

A weekly post featuring poems by innovators who continue to inspire the artists who will take the stage at Verses Festival of Words. A Coat by WB Yeats I made my song a coat Covered with embroideries Out of old mythologies From heel to throat; But the fools caught it, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Tara Hardy

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Tara Hardy Hails from: Seattle, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Beau Sia

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Beau Sia Hails from: Los … Continued

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Word of the Week: Absquatulate

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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Past Tense: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

A weekly post featuring poems by innovators who continue to inspire the artists who will take the stage at Verses Festival of Words. Sonnets from the Portugese, XXXVI by Elizabeth Barrett Browning When we met first and loved, I did not build Upon the event with marble. Could it mean … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Mike Mcgee

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Mighty Mike McGee Hails from: … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Ivan E. Coyote

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Ivan Coyote Hails from: Vancouver, … Continued

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Word of the Week: Slake

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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Past Tense: Audre Lorde

A weekly post featuring poems by innovators who continue to inspire the artists who will take the stage at Verses Festival of Words. Making Love to Concrete by Audre Lorde An upright abutment in the mouth of the Willis Avenue bridge a beige Honda leaps the divider like a steel … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Mindy Nettifee

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Mindy Nettifee Hails from: Portland, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: RC Weslowski

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: RC Weslowski Hails from: Vancouver, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Valerie “Queenie” Mason-John

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Valerie “Queenie” Mason-John Hails from: … Continued

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Word of the Week: Moxie

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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Past Tense: Charles Bukowski

A weekly post featuring poems by innovators who continue to inspire the artists who will take the stage at Verses Festival of Words. A Radio with Guts by Charles Bukowski it was on the 2nd floor on Coronado Street I used to get drunk and throw the radio through the … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Lillian Allen

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Lillian Allen Hails from: Toronto, … Continued

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Cliffs Notes: Fernando Raguero

To get you prepped for the onslaught of artistic awesomeness that’s coming your way in April, we’re running a series highlighting our amazing performers. Because you are busy and important, we’ll keep it short. 100 words or less, (almost) everything you need to know. Name: Fernando Raguero Hails from: Vancouver, … Continued

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Word of the Week: Irascible

Every week we’ll be featuring an exceptional, useful, or just plain weird word. Use it to inspire a poem, impress your coworkers, or scare away the person sitting too close to you on the bus.

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No Lecterns Allowed

This ad will appear in the upcoming issue of BC Bookworld. Of course, the point here is not about lecterns themselves. They are noble pieces of stage furniture. The problem is that events featuring writers reading from behind lecterns can feel like church with the preacher proclaiming from the pulpit. … Continued

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Donate to our Beyond Miles campaign

Donate to our Beyond Miles campaign, and help poets get to Verses Festival of Words! In each of the past four years (2009–12), Vancouver Poetry House has spent between $15,000–$25,000 to send local poets to national and international slam tournaments and to bring the best poets in the world to … Continued

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Put Poets on Planes

In each of the past four years (2009–12), Vancouver Poetry House has spent between $15,000–$25,000 to send local poets to national and international slam tournaments and to bring the best poets in the world to Vancouver for events like Hullabaloo. We’re proud of this. We’ve put poets on a lot … Continued

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Two Weeks Left to Register

Registration for Hullabaloo closes on January 31st. We’ve had a tremendous response with many schools already signed up; however, there are a couple spots still available. You need a minimum of three student poets (or BC teens if you’re associated with a youth organization) to form a team (you can … Continued

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2013 Canadian Indies Registration

Hello poets, if you are interested in participating in the 2013 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championships, please read the Indies FAQ. If there are any further questions, feel free to contact Chris Gilpin at hello@vancouverpoetryhouse.com. Venue registration will open on February 1, 2013. It will be $25, payable online through … Continued

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Team Registration Now Open!

Head’s up! Team registration for Hullabaloo 2013 opens today. It is on a first-come, first-served basis, along with consideration for regional representation around BC. We are planning to admit only 16 teams to this year’s tournament, so it’s a good idea to register sooner than later. The festival will take … Continued

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Registration Opens November 1st, 2012

We’ve had a bunch of eager youth poets sending messages asking: How can my school register for Hullabaloo 2013? I don’t want to miss it. Well, don’t worry, you’ve haven’t missed any deadlines yet. Hullabaloo 2013 registration opens on November 1st, 2012. The registration fee will be $160 payable by … Continued

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New Festival Name and Dates Announced

After more than 140 entries from 50 different participants, a new name has been chosen for the poetry festival hosted by Vancouver Poetry House each April. The festival will now be called: Verses Festival of Words and will happen next year April 8–13, 2013. The winner of the festival renaming … Continued

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Amy Everhart Added to Hullabaloo 2013

Last year, Amy Everhart came up to the Vancouver Poetry Slam and blew everyone out of their seats. Now, we’re going to have her back! She’ll be featuring at Hullabaloo 2013 Team Finals Night and conducting workshops throughout the week. Bio: Amy Everhart has been called one of “America’s most … Continued

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Amy Everhart Added to Hullabaloo 2013

Last year, Amy Everhart came up to the Vancouver Poetry Slam and blew everyone out of their seats. Now, we’re going to have her back! She’ll be featuring at Hullabaloo 2013 Team Finals Night and conducting workshops throughout the week. Bio: Amy Everhart has been called one of “America’s most … Continued

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Tweaks to Format and Team Size

We’ve collected feedback at Hullabaloo 2012 through one-on-one conversations, a coaches / student captain meeting, and email surveys. After going through all this feedback, we’re making a number of changes. The main feedback from teachers and students is that everyone wants Hullabaloo to be a development festival, an event that … Continued

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Save the Dates! Hullabaloo is Coming April 3–6, 2013

Big news! Hullabaloo 2013 has set its dates. The next BC youth festival of spoken word will happen April 3–6, 2013. That’s the week right after Easter from Wednesday to Saturday. The event schedule is still being finalized, but the goal has been to compress the festival, shortening it by … Continued

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Delta Papers Cover Hulllabaloo Champs

The papers in Delta picked up coverage on Hullabaloo champs from their local school, South Delta Secondary, and the Hullabaloo Indies Champ, Floyd VB, who was part of the SDSS slam team. Check out the article on Hullabaloo in the South Delta Optimist and this cool piece on Floyd VB … Continued

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Youthink Magazine Article on Hullabaloo Winners

(South Delta Secondary, Hullabaloo Team Champions, Zoe Wessler, Parker Woods, Sam Merritt and Floyd VB and their coach Trevor “Spillious the Ridiculous One” Spilchen) Youthink Magazine has been a fabulous media sponsor for Hullabaloo. Read their article about the results of this year’s festival as well as their interview with … Continued

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Youth Slams in and around Vancouver (April & May)

Hullabaloo may be over, but the youth poetry slams keep on coming. If you missed the tournament, these events are a great way to get an idea of what poetry slam is all about. If you were at Hullabaloo and are in poetry withdrawal, here’s the perfect chance to get … Continued

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Results from Team Finals

Hullabaloo culminates in the Team Finals bout. Last year, Reynolds won and South Delta came in second. This year, they switched spots with South Delta taking first place and Reynolds taking first runner-up. Vancouver island was well-represented with Glenlyon Norfolk and Reynolds both from the Victoria area, and both making … Continued

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Results from Indies Finals

The Indies Finals competition blew the roof on The Rio Theatre. 12 of the best youth poets in BC participated in a three round slam of poetic madness. The first round was a 3-minute round with regular slam rules. 12 poets performed and the top 7 advanced (highlighted in blue). … Continued

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Final Standings from Prelims

After two evenings of astounding poetry, the results are in. These numbers do little to convey the courage and beauty of all of the poems presented, but it is an essential part of this crazy thing called poetry slam. Many members of the old guard of the Vancouver slam scene … Continued

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Rankings after Day One

UPDATED (2:10pm, April 12, 2012): individual poets’ names added for Reynolds in Indies standings. If finals started today (and they don’t), the teams and individuals highlighted would advance. However there’s still a whole day of competition to go and anything could happen! Beside the team or individual name is the … Continued

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Bout Draw & Wild Card Team

Preliminary bouts start today. Each team will compete in two different bouts. Because we have fewer than 16 team, a few teams will have to face each other twice (it’s a necessity, do the math). Scores will be posted online after each night at: http://youthslam.ca/scores Wednesday, April 11th Bout #1, … Continued

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Shaw TV features Hullabaloo

Fantastic segment on Hullabaloo featuring youth poets from New Westminster and South Delta. Hullabaloo is the first part of this video (staring at 1:06) that was aired on Shaw TV. In his excitement, RC Weslowski tells Floyd and Jasmine that both their teams will be part of Team Finals Night. … Continued

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Metaphors Be With You

Picked up the Hullabaloo t-shirts yesterday and we’re already receiving facebook messages from people asking me how they can buy them. We might have to do a second printing. Big ups to Dave at The Goods on Broadway for doing such a great job. If you need a quality silk-screening … Continued

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Georgia Straight Highlights Hullabaloo

Hullabaloo was picked by The Georgia Straight as one of its “Straight Choices” in this week’s paper (page 32). They also posted are article about Hullabaloo online, which includes quotes from co-organizer, RC Weslowski. Here’s an excerpt: While the event is billed as a competition, and there can only be … Continued

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Tournament Schedule Streamlined & Workshops Added

Yesterday, the BC Teachers Federation made its announcements about how it will react to Bill 22, which imposes heavy fines for any further strikes. Hullabaloo has dodged a bullet, in terms of its timing, as the vote on whether or not teachers will stop volunteering their time to support extracurricular … Continued

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What Teachers Make

The BC Teachers Federation and BC Liberal government are locked in a battle of wills. It’s difficult to say at this point what kind of settlement will emerge or when. One thing is certain though. It’s always important to remember what teachers make…

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Hullabaloo Team Bout Draw Announced

On Sunday, March 4th, at the Hullabaloo volunteer and button-making meet up, the team bout draw was conducted. All slots for bouts on the first day were randomly chosen. The second day bouts were determined by a formula that ensures no teams face other twice. Here are the results: Wednesday, … Continued

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Olivia B interviewed in VancouverIsAwesome.com

Olivia B was featured in a recent post on the most excellent website VancouverIsAwesome.com. Here’s a snippet: Favourite Vancouver/Lower Mainland writer? I don’t know if I have a “favourite”, but right now I’m really excited about lisa b., who is a spoken word poet I discovered through the Van slam … Continued

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Zaccheus Jackson in The Province

As part of his work with the Talking Stick Festival, Zaccheus Jackson was featured in a recent article by Stuart Derdeyn in The Province. “After an argument with my girl-friend, I was walking off the tension along my neighbourhood of Commercial Drive when I saw a sign that said “Poetry … Continued

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Article on Hullabaloo 2011 Champs, Reynolds Secondary

Read the original article on Youthink by Camilla Shelby – Port Moody Secondary, Port Moody BC Feb 7, 2012 Defined as a, “form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse,” spoken word is a powerful form of expression. Spoken word artists and teams compete against one another in … Continued

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VIPF 2012 On The Way

Wonderful poets and poetry enthusiasts, This is just a tiny reminder about the 2nd Annual Vancouver International Poetry Festival and the 2nd Annual Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship this coming April 23rd through 28th 2012. Some of you may note that the festival is later on ion April. This is … Continued

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OpenSecret Stands Above

On April 23rd, 2011, the first Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship concluded with its final bout. 32 poets began in this competition, and 12 advanced to finals after two days of preliminary bouts. Those poets were: Sasha Langford, Francis Arevalo, Lucia Misch, Zaccheus Jackson, Mary Pinkowski, Eytan Crouton, Jillian Christmas, … Continued

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Ode to East Van by Libby Davies

Libby Davies, our MP, is not only a fabulous representative for East Vancouver in the House of Commons, but she included a poem in her opening remarks at our festival opening ceremony on Monday. She was met with thunderous applause. Ode to East Van The Drive is awash people, Stakeboards, … Continued

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Day One

So, day one of the Vancouver International Poetry Festival was on Monday April 18 – our opening night show was the always-thrilling Vancouver Poetry Slam Team Finals Night. I spent the day trying to relax, since I was competing in the show that night for a spot on the Van … Continued

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AbeBooks interviews Susan Musgrave

No one can deny that Susan Musgrave has had a very interesting life. Her career as a social misfit began when she was kicked out of kindergarten class for laughing, and sent to the library to contemplate her heinous crime while seated on the “Thinking Chair”. She understood, then, that … Continued

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Festival Poster Released

Duncan Shields here, co-slam master of Vancouver Poetry Slam and graphic designer for the festival. We just got the posters in and they look amazing. I’m really happy with how they turned out. Look for them in your neighbourhood. These make it feel more real, somehow. It’s really happening! This … Continued

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So Much Awesome Not So Far Away

So, it’s not like I’m excited or anything, but there are ONLY 39 MORE DAYS until the launch of the Vancouver International Poetry Festival! Sorry about the all-caps. Didn’t mean to shout. The last week or so, the VIP festival has stopped feeling like it’s sooooooo far away and has … Continued