Tickets
Doors at 7, show at 7:30

If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.

Poets will be paired up via random draw and compete head-to-head. The first round is 3 minutes long. The second round is 1 minute long.This will be a double knockout competition. Meaning 16 poets will compete with each other in 8 groups of 2. The second round will be 4 groups of 2, determining the top 4 poets of night 1.

The Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (CIPS) will take place between April 27 –29, 2022. CIPS is a nationally recognized poetry slam. This year, the competition will take place online and in-person , as part of the Verses Festival of Words. 16 poets representing spoken word series and regions across Canada will compete in a head-to-head double knock out tournament, presenting poems that are 1,2,3 or 4 minutes in length. Winners of each head-to-head will be determined by 5 random judges from the in-person and/or online audiences. This judging system aligns with our vision of the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion being chosen by fellow community members – without hierarchy, without prioritizing expertise, cultivating a way of accessing poetry for all.

This event will be broadcast on POETV

If you have questions about accessibility at the Festival visit Access Verses

Vancouver Poetry House events take place on the ancestral territories of the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh First Nations, whose lands were never sold, ceded, or relinquished,—lands that were taken. Vancouver Poetry House supports the resurgence of Indigenous culture and the work of Indigenous poets.