Your 2017 Verses Festival of Words Pass gives you full access to all #VS17 events: Hullabaloo Youth Poetry Slam Competition – free at VPL Central Three Showcases: "Oceans to Sail" Showcase with Saul Williams and Guests Sounds Like Fire: Femme4Femme The Body Is Not An Apology Five Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championships … Continued
The Spoken Word Jamboree kicks off not only Hullabaloo, but also Verses Festival of Words 2017! All teams will be invited to perform a one-minute intro poem to tell us more about themselves and their school, and Ronnie Dean Harris aka Ostwelve will rock the house as the night’s feature. Alice MacKay … Continued
More than just a meet'n'greet, at the Jamboree we'll hear from all of the Hullabaloo teams - and most exciting of all, we'll hear from Ronnie Dean Harris aka Ostwelve!
“The poets were total professionals and brought hot topics to life with their passion and energy. The students were mesmerized and totally engaged.” – Tracy Sullivan, Hugh Boyd Secondary The always popular Hullabaloo All Star Slam at the Rio Theatre returns for two shows this year, featuring a battle between … Continued
“The poets were total professionals and brought hot topics to life with their passion and energy. The students were mesmerized and totally engaged.” - Tracy Sullivan, Hugh Boyd Secondary The always popular Hullabaloo All Star Slam at the Rio Theatre returns this year, featuring a battle between heavyweights of the … Continued
Johnny Trinh hosts as Charlie C Petch, Dana I.D. Matthews, and Rabbit Richards slam in a three-round battle royale of Canadian slam rockstars.
For the first time, 8 teams compete in two simultaneous slams to determine who makes finals. A mix of individual and group pieces.
The preliminary rounds erupt, with eight teams competing in two simultaneous slams! Location: Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye rooms (downstairs from the main concourse). Bouts 1 & 2: Doors 6:00 PM; Start: 6:30 PM; End: 8:00 PM Bouts 3 & 4: Start: 8:00 PM; End: 9:30 PM Every team in Hullabaloo will perform in one bout this … Continued
The next 8 teams go at it with two more simultaneous bouts to determine who makes finals. A mix of individual poems and group pieces.
16 poets compete in a four-round, head-to-head slam format, with winners decided by sound of applause. Fourth round is the anarchy round!
Four amazing workshops on offer from Hullabaloo All Stars Johnny Trinh, Charlie C Petch, Dana I.D. Matthews, and Rabbit Richards.
The land of poetry spreads out far and vast. There’s a lot of territory to cover. You could spend a whole day just traveling from metaphor to extended metaphor. Then there’s rhyme and alliteration. Poets have spent years investigating the nooks and crannies of those areas. What about the magical … Continued
8 teams get back at it to determine who will make Hullabaloo Finals. A mix of individual poems and group pieces.
The second slate of prelims kicks off, with eight teams competing in their second slams! Location: Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye rooms (downstairs from the main concourse). Bouts 5 & 6 - Doors: 1:00 PM; Start: 1:30 PM; End: 3:00 PM Bouts 7 & 8 - Doors: 3:00 PM; Start: 3:30 PM; End 5:00 PM Every … Continued
The preliminary rounds wrap up, with two more simultaneous bouts to determine who makes finals. A mix of individual poems and group pieces.
Following a feature by Victoria's Jeremy Loveday, the top four teams compete for the title of Hullabaloo 2017 team champions and ownership of the fabled Billy Sharkspeare trophy!
The 7th annual HULLABALOO FINALS NIGHT will determine which school has the best poetic chops in all of British Columbia. Jeremy Loveday will start the evening with a feature set of her award-winning spoken word poetry. Then the top four teams from the preliminary bouts will face off against each … Continued
“Williams has been breaking ground since his debut album, Amethyst Rock Star, was released in 2001. After gaining global fame for his poetry and writings at the turn of the century, Williams has performed in over 30 countries and read in over 300 universities, with invitations that have spanned from … Continued
A literary afternoon delight! Music and words from many of the artists performing throughout the 2017 Verses Festival of Words, with the best of performers from Hullabaloo youth spoken word competition thrown into the mix. Feast your ears on an all-you-can-handle buffet of words. Get a taste of the festival … Continued
"Oceans to Sail" Showcase Featuring Saul Williams and Guests Saul Williams is no stranger to conversations that permeate the collective minds of the diaspora. Reparations are within reach and he has a list of demands waiting to unravel from the tip of his revolutionary tongue. Bolstered by the work of … Continued
Black Lives Matter Vancouver is the local chapter of the international group of activists calling for an end to police brutality, and aiming to lift up Black voices. Curated by Cicely-Belle Blain and hosted by Holly Bishu, this showcase gives space to the artists within the movement, paying respect to … Continued
Van Slam Team Finals Celebrate the 21st annual Van Slam Finals Night with visiting feature Desireé Dallagiacomo. Vancouver's top nine slam poets of the season compete for a spot on this year’s team to represent Van Slam at major tournaments and festivals across North America. Poets gain points by ranking … Continued
Our monthly youth poetry slam series continues in April but with an extra special bit of spice and hot sauce as we are also part of the Verses Festival of Words. Now that our playoffs are complete we’re going to have a fun slam for cash and prizes. We’ll also … Continued
Our monthly youth poetry slam series continues in April but with an extra special bit of spice and hot sauce as we are also part of the Verses Festival of Words. Now that our playoffs are complete we're going to have a fun slam for cash and prizes. We'll also … Continued
2017 Van SlamTeam Finals is part of Verses Festival of Words again! #VS17 #VersesFestival Celebrate the 21st annual Van Slam Finals Night with visiting feature Desireé Dallagiacomo. Vancouver's top nine slam poets of the season compete for a spot on this year’s team to represent Van Slam at major tournaments … Continued
Geist is the Canadian magazine of ideas and culture — fact + fiction, photography and comix, essays, reviews, and the weird and wonderful from the world of words. Issue 104 will be launched this night. Oratorealis publishes biannually Canadian spoken word and experimental poetry. Oratorealis is thrilled to be launching their … Continued
Amber Dawn, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Kama La Mackerel, and Kai Cheng Thom In this femme-focussed showcase, we are gifted the opportunity to the bear witness to brilliant magic born of community and coven, care and creativity among four radical, vulnerable, and fiercely capable femmes, building each other up in a … Continued
Shhh… Before you speak a single word in the festival, trained stage actor and performance poet, Johnny Trinh, nourishes our understanding of breath and body, expanding our skills of projection and protecting what is for vocal performers, our most valuable instrument. Lengthen the lifespan and strengthen the health of your … Continued
Poets participating in the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam are required to attend this orientation.The focus of CIPS Tournament Director Johnny Trinh will be on making sure everyone is aware of the rules and format of the tournament, the location of the venues, community resources available to them, and the … Continued
What better place to proclaim your love for whatever turns on your nerdy nature than at the Storm Crow Tavern, the geekiest gathering place in Vancouver? Costumes are welcomed in the audience or for performers. Go on, dress up, and step up to the mic. You will be in raucous … Continued