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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

RC Weslowski, 2012 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam winner, is interviewed by Miguel Burr.

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

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

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

Jillian Christmas, Co-Director of the Verses Festival of Words, is interviewed by Miguel Burr.

Chris Gilpin, Co-Director of the Verses Festival of Words is interviewed by Miguel Burr.

Hey, poets! Looking for more ways to get your words out into the world?

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

Choosing a new name for the festival is obviously a big deal. We’ve had a number of excellent entries, but we want to make sure that we have every good name imaginable as an option. So we are extending the deadline for the Festival Renaming Contest to September 15th. All … Continued

We’re holding a contest to rename VIPF. What should we call it?

The 2012 winner of the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championships is… RC Weslowski! Second Place: Greg ‘Ritallin’ Frankson Third Place: Colin Matty Fourth Place: Jen Kunlire Full results from Finals Night and overall standings to follow…

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

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

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

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

VIPF welcomed Shane Koyczan at its opening night festivities