Join us on Monday, April 7th, for the 2025 Van Slam FINALS at Shamshiri Caveman (139 Keefer St)! Come find out who will take the title of 2025 Vancouver Poetry Slam Champion and rep Vancouver at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam!! After two intense qualifying slams in March, the top 8 … Continued
Verses Festival of Words Celebrate the transformative power of language at Verses Festival of Words About Verses Festival of Words Canada’s largest alternative literary arts festival, Verses Festival of Words offers up dynamic programming celebrating a broad definition of literary arts, including spoken word poetry, storytelling, page-based poetry, singer-songwriters, improvisers, … Continued
Gathered Hullabaloo teams introduce themselves with zany, hilarious and/or awkward 1-minute poems, then enjoy a showcase from festival alumni! Join us to meet the teams and witness some poetic magic from former Hullabaloo participants, Angelic Goldsky and more! Thu, April 10 at Vancouver Film School (151 W Cordova) Doors: 6:00 PM … Continued
King Kimbit, Spin El Poeta and Jozy dazzle and delight in a showcase of super powered spoken word! On a workshop-style stage, the Hullabaloo All Stars present poems in conversation for an energetic and attentive audience! Friday, April 11th, at Vancouver Film School (151 W Cordova) Doors: 12:00 PM | Start: … Continued
All Hullabaloo teams in Hullabaloo perform a mix of individual and group performances in poetry slam competitions! Poetry presented with gusto and the enthusiastic support of all attending teams. Teams competing in Hullabaloo represent schools from Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Delta, Chilliwack and Victoria. Friday, April 11th, at Vancouver Film School (151 … Continued
Hullabaloo's All Star poets offer up four 50-minute "mini masterclass" workshops for youth aged 13 to 18! Participating youth can sign up for two out of four mini master classes (50-minute workshops) offered by King Kimbit, Spin El Poeta, Jozy & TBC. Sat, April 12 at The Post at 750 … Continued
All Hullabaloo teams in Hullabaloo perform a mix of individual and group performances in poetry slam competitions! Poetry presented with gusto and the enthusiastic support of all attending teams. Teams competing in Hullabaloo represent schools from Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Delta, Chilliwack and Victoria. At the end of the last set … Continued
The top four teams compete in one last slam to crown the 2025 champion! Following the presentation of the Zaccheus Jackson Spirit of the Slam Award and a performance from an incredible headlining artist, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, the four competing teams throw down in a final slam to determine the … Continued
One of the festival flagship events, "Oral Traditions" is an evening that amplifies diverse voices with a focus on oral traditions. For 2025, led by Sonya Littlejohn, Oral Traditions will be a collaborative showcase with partners: Native Hip Hop Society, Wordsmiths, and Soul Stories. This event will celebrate Indigenous, Black, … Continued
Poet Sheri-D Wilson launches the next volume of her epic work, The ONEIRONAUT ∅2 Come Celebrate as we launch the 2nd volume in a three-book one-story fantasy trilogy written in the beguiling words of poet Sheri-D Wilson. Sheri-D will be joined by friends: C.R. Avery, Billeh Nickerson, & Anjalica Solomon. Tuesday, April 15th, … Continued
Location: Chill-X Studio Time: 3:00 pm This session is formatted as a talk and facilitated dialogue where Governor General Award winning artist, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard will share knowledge on bridging disciplines of poetry, emcee, writing poetry, writing for theatre, and developing that work into performance. DM will impart knowledge … Continued
The first round of competition features back-to-back slams as 24 of the best poets across Canada begin the tournament that will determine the 2025 Canadian Poetry Slam Champion! During Round 1, competing poets will perform 2-minute and 3-minute poems. This event will also stream live on the POETV YouTube channel. … Continued
![[ID: Johnny Trinh is holding a microphone in one hand and a clipboard in the other. He stands in front of The Rio’s red theatre curtain/end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Trinh-Hosts-360x360-1.jpg "Trinh-Hosts-360×360")
Location: Chill-X Studio Time: 1:00 pm This presentation is perfect for any artist or arts organization that is looking to produce community-engaged art projects. Johnny D Trinh, Vancouver Poetry House | Executive Artistic Director, Historic Joy Kogawa House | Interim Executive Director, Stage to Page Performance Society | Founding … Continued
The second round of competition features back-to-back slams as 24 of the best poets across Canada compete to see who will make Saturday night's CIPS FINALS! During Round 2, competing poets will perform 4-minute and 1-minute poems. This event will also stream live on the POETV YouTube channel. Thursday, April … Continued
Stage to Page returns for a public workshop where poets will explore ways to collaborate with music and other disciplines. Industry experts from across artistic disciplines and sectors offer tips and feedback to poets on their works, culminating in a musical jam session. Fri, April 18 at Chill X Studio … Continued
Always a fun event that offers opportunities for folks passionate about poetry to share work in a supportive environment! At this open mic-style event, attendees can sign up when they arrive at the event to share poems in an informal setting. Friday, April 18th, at Chill X Studio (2270 Manitoba St) … Continued
A longtime friend to Verses, Mashed Poetics returns with a showcase that brings music and poetry together as we celebrate The Tragically Hip album "Fully Completely"! Poets are invited to create work inspired by a song, artist, or album. Then, in true concert style, Mashed Poetics performs covers of the … Continued
A rare opportunity to learn from the incredible Beau Sia! Verses Festival of Words poet of honour and legendary Spoken Word poet Beau Sia offers a masterclass that offers coaching, tips, and feedback to poets interested in performance and writing compelling work. Sat, April 19 at Chill X Studio (2270 … Continued
After an intense preliminary competition, the top poets compete to crown the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam champion for 2025! Before the competition begins, enjoy an incredible opportunity to see our poet of honour, Beau Sia, perform a feature set, and help us celebrate the recipient(s) of this year's Zaccheus Jackson … Continued
Vancouver Poetry Slam returns in-person and online with a May slam featuring newly-crowned (and two-time!) Canadian Individual Poetry Slam champion, MayaSpoken! In addition to a feature set from MayaSpoken, this slam includes a short open mic and a two-round poetry slam. Sign up for open mic and slam spots will … Continued
Vancouver Poetry Slam returns in-person and online with a June slam featuring Derek Edenshaw!
In addition to a feature set from Derek Edenshaw, this slam includes a short open mic and a two-round poetry slam. Sign up for open mic and slam spots will be first come, first serve. The show opens with the open mic and the feature performance. Following a short break, we slam!
Vancouver Poetry Slam returns in-person and online with a July slam featuring Will Rideout! This month we are excited to feature set from USA poet, Will Rideout!! This slam includes a two-round poetry slam and an open mic. The show opens with the open mic and then the feature performance … Continued
Vancouver Poetry Slam September-- featuring Shima Aisha Robinson! Monday, September 1st, 2025 at Shamshiri Caveman (139 Keefer St). Doors: 7:00 PM | Sign up: 7:30 PM | Show: 8:00 PM $8 Advance - BUY TICKETS $10-$15 sliding scale at the door (no one turned away for lack of funds) This … Continued
Meet the Cascadia Deaf Nation Stewards: Rei, Annie and Ashanti Cascadia Deaf Nation is a vibrant capacity building social business committed to promoting community wellness within BIPOC Deaf communities. It also extends its services to broader communities in the beautiful and unceded Coast Salish territories within lush Cascadia bioregion. … Continued
Van Slam will return to El Torito (139B Keefer St.) on October 6th! Doors: 7 pm Sign up: 7:30 pm Slam: 8 pm $8 in advance at Zeffy.com $10-15 @ the door No one turned away for lack of funds El Torito is a wheelchair accessible venue. A warm thank … Continued
Van Slam will return to El Torito (139B Keefer St.) on November 3rd with the inimitable CHARLIE PETCH as our feature! Doors: 7 pm Sign up: 7:30 pm Slam: 8 pm $8 in advance at Zeffy.com $10-15 @ the door No one turned away for lack of funds A note … Continued