Vancouver Poetry House

Devon Goodman Memorial: Open Mic Feat. Jeremy Loveday and Shauntelle Dick-Charleson
2023-05-29 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Vancouver) | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
TICKETS
Join us for our open mic night in memorial of Devon Goodman. This event will feature up and coming poet, Shauntelle, and Jeremy Loveday.
Devon Goodman was a lifelong poet, who found his truest inspiration in the Vancouver Slam Poetry community in 2007. Devon started the Maple Ridge Poetry Slam while still in high school, inspired by poets he saw gracing the Vancouver stage at the time. He was a gregarious member of the local recovery community, and in his memory, his family would like to offer support to gay youth struggling with addiction. He passed in November of 2021, and we honour his memory and his works in this event
A bit about Shauntelle:My name is Shauntelle/Huupquestaah/TSAYŁE I am a 20 year old who got into poetry 5 years ago Pronouns are She/Her. I come from Hesquiaht and Songhees. I am a soccer player and basketball player who enjoys poetry. I moved over here about 2 years ago now to go to school and graduated the spa esthetics program at Blanche Macdonald in January 2022. I’ve gone to CFWS with the Vic slam team and placed 8th in nationals back in 2019. I also have two poems in the Aboriginal Voices 2 book. My poetry Instagram account is Shauntelle_poetry.
A bit about Jeremy: Jeremy Loveday is a poet, arts educator, and community builder from Victoria, BC, on the territory of the lәk’wәŋәn People. He founded and served as the longtime artistic director of the Victorious Voices youth poetry festival. Jeremy’s dynamic performances earned him the title of Victoria Poetry Slam Grand Champion three times. In 2020, he was honoured with the Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award. His work has been published in reputable platforms such as Huffington Post, CV 2, Funicular Magazine, National Observer, CBC, Claudia, and Best Canadian Poetry 2023. Jeremy eagerly anticipates the release of his first full-length book of poems, forthcoming from Write Bloody North.
This is a hybrid event! Join us in person at Community Taps + Pizza (1191 Commercial Dr.) or online via zoom. Join us for our open mic night.
Sign up to read starts at 7:30 both in person and online. See you there!

Venue Accessibility
Masking Policy: Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.
Van slam takes place on the Unceded, stolen Lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations and we wish to acknowledge & thank those people who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial. Van Slam is committed to engaging in the internal and external work of reconciliation.

Van Slam: Slam and Open Mic feat. Christopher Tse
2023-05-22 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Come join us for another night of slam poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Christopher Tse!

A bit about them:
Christopher Tse (he/him) is a facilitator, writer, and storyteller based in Whitehorse, Yukon. He placed second at both the 2011 Poetry Slam World Cup and 2016 Rio International Poetry Slam, and continues to miss the top of the podium in most areas of his life. He has shared the stage with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Martin Luther King III, and Mustafa the Poet, and his work has appeared on stages, documentaries, and graffiti walls worldwide. Christopher is passionate about interrogating the intersections of identity and power through storytelling and art, particularly the role of art in historical and current resistance movements. He has one dog and one sourdough starter.

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.
Sign up to read will start at 7:30 both in person and online.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

ahmm | Tetrad Tongues
2023-05-19 18:30 - 20:30 | 910 Richards Street – Suite 204, Vancouver, BC
Asian Heritage Month at Morrow
Interactive Poetry Reading
Featuring: Anjalica Solomon, Christopher Tse, Johnny Trinh, Sarah Wong
Co-produced by Vancouver Poetry House and Dumb Instrument Dance
Duration of Performance: 2 hrs

Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/89c87037-303f-4aab-ac10-347aed475df1

Gathering in community on the unceded, ancestral, occupied territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.

Join in an evening of interactive poetry produced in partnership with Vancouver Poetry House featuring local artists, Anjalica Solomon, Johnny Trinh, Christopher Tse and Sarah Wong. Bringing together a diverse group of Asian writers, Tetrad Tongues will be a conversation reflecting on kin, cultural heritage, and intergenerational wisdom. In addition to witnessing the featured writers, audience members will be invited to participate in an exercise to collectively create a poem, allowing an archive of our shared experience of the evening to emerge.

For more information about this show and the artists please visit the ahmm webpage

Here is some general accessibility info, please contact us with questions or requests.

Masks are strongly recommended during this event in consideration of the presence of immunocompromised artists.
There are 2 common area entrances to the building. The front entrance has one flight of stairs. The back entrance provides access to the elevator. If you require elevator access, please contact us once you’ve purchased your ticket and we will meet you at the door to let you in and support. The back entrance is in the parking lot behind 910 Richards, cornering Smithe.
There is one wheelchair accessible and one gender neutral washroom.
We request that people do not wear scents and we provide scent free soap in washrooms.
If you would like to request ASL support, please communicate with two week’s advance notice and we will do our best to accommodate.

Van Slam: Open mic feat. Stephanie Wong
2023-05-15 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Come join us for another night of slam poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Stephanie Wong!

A bit about them:
Born in Hong Kong, Stephanie Wong (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who is grateful to live and create on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ peoples. Her art is an invocation to imagination, which she explores through a practice of directing, producing, dramaturgy, new work creation, performance, and design. A graduate of Studio 58’s Acting Program, and the Associate Artistic Director of re:Naissance Opera, she is in constant pursuit of cross sector collaborations and genre defying works. By honoring the intersections of her professional and personal experience, her work amplifies stories of culture, connection, and coexistence.

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.
Sign up to read will start at 7:30 both in person and online.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

VanSlam: Slam and Open Mic feat. Dave Callaway
2023-05-08 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Come join us for another night of slam poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Dave Callaway!

Dave’s bio:
If human unrest is the cloud, rain, and sea combined,
Then imagine David Arthur’s voice to be the heat on the wind.
The world requires some of us to stir the pot and drive the storm on.
David Arthur has been to the places inside us that maps dare not show.
He has been there with pen, paper, and a decent bottle of scotch, piching a marlboro between his teeth screaming “FUCK IT, LET’S MAKE A BAD DECISION!”
David Arthur is both warrior and feild reporter for the exctacies of life’s pleasures and pains.
He’s seen some shit… And he wants to share…
– Scott Jensen

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.
Sign up to read will start at 7:30 both in person and online.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

VanSlam: Open Mic feat. Hari Alluri
2023-05-01 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Come join us for another night of slam poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Hari Alluri!

A bit about them:
Hari Alluri (he/him/siya) is a migrant poet of Philippine and South Indian descent who lives, loves, and writes on unceded Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, and Kwantlen, Katzie and Kwikwetlem lands of Hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking peoples. Siya is author of The Flayed City and chapbook Our Echo of Sudden Mercy and recipient of the Vera Manuel Award for Poetry, among other prizes, grants, fellowships and residencies. His work appears through these venues and elsewhere: Apogee, Dream Marrow (Burnaby Art Gallery), Marías at Sampaguitas, Poetry, poetry in canada and—via Split This Rock—Best of the Net 2022. @harialluri | https://linktr.ee/harialluri

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.
Sign up to read will start at 7:30 both in person and online.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

Pot Luck: Open Mic featuring Moe Clark
2023-04-29 15:00 - 16:30 | 312 Main Street, 312 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 2T2, Canada
TICKETS
Hosted by: Johnny Trinh

After a feast of food, big dialogues, and a week of intense performance- we close the week by returning to the roots of Spoken Word and Oral Tradition. We gather around the table, we form a circle, and share our stories, songs, and art in an intimate gathering with a special feature performance by Moe Clark.

Slamily Meeting: Speak North Town Hall
2023-04-29 13:00 - 15:00 | 312 Main Street, 312 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 2T2, Canada
FREE Please Register in Advance
Facilitated Janice Jo Lee

This is an open town hall- with the continually changing landscape of Spoken Word in Canada, the national community needs time and space to connect and envision the future. Come engage in the dialogue, hear updates from Speak North, and be part of the evolution of Spoken Word on Turtle Island.
Not in Vancouver? You can still attend this event through Zoom. Please register and we will send you a link to join the virtual meeting.

Stone Soup Trinh/MacRae Brunch
2023-04-29 11:00 - 13:00 | 312 Main Street, 312 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 2T2, Canada
TICKETS
Vancouver Poetry House Artistic Director, Culinary Poet, Johnny D Trinh; alongside Artistic Director Emeritus, Verses Festival Coordinator, Johnny MacRae will prepare a feast of food to close the festival. All poets and participants are welcome to share one final meal together to mark the end of an incredible festival. Registration Required.

Canadian Individual Poetry Slam FINALS
2023-04-28 18:30 - 21:00 | Djavad Mowafaghian World Arts Centre, 149 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
TICKETS
Broadcast Live on POETV
Featuring Randell Adjei
The top 6 poets from Preliminary Round 1, and the top 6 poets from Second Chance Night will go head to head. The knockout format is as follows: 6 groups of 2 performing 3 minute poems, 2 groups of 3 performing 1 minute poems, 1 group of 2 performing 4 minute poems – and then the last poet standing will be crowned the CIPS winner.
Doors open at 6 pm for live and online audience

Stage to Page Master Class
2023-04-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Simon Fraser University Woodward’s, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
TICKETS
Featuring: Leo DE Johnson, Adrian Neblett, Jaymee Mak, Kathleen Nisbet, Janice Jo Lee and Krystal Kiran
Hosted by: Johnny D Trinh
Stage to Page produces public masterclasses/workshops led by a panel of industry professionals featuring poets, producers, theatre makers, and more. Vancouver Poetry House is partnering with Stage to Page Performance Society to bring a special public masterclass for Verses 2023.
This is a must-attend workshop for those interested in the intersection of music, sound art, and poetry. A slate of All-Star panelists will offer key notes to their practice, and provide insights on the interdisciplinary realm of music and poetry. This is an open workshop, where the public are invited to attend and observe as selected poets have their work performed by Film & Television and Theatre artists, then workshopped with music and sound by the panelists, and then an opportunity to perform it themselves. The event closes with a Q&A, and an open jam session that may include open mic, audience participation if time allows.
Workshop participants will be selected by a submission process which will open in March. For more information: stagetopageperformance@gmail.com

CIPS Preliminary BOUT 2
2023-04-27 18:30 - 20:30 | Djavad Mowafaghian World Arts Centre, 149 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
TICKETS
Doors open at 6 pm
Broadcast live on POETV
Poets will be paired up via random draw and compete head-to-head. This will be a double knockout competition. The poets competing will be the 12 poets who lost in the First Preliminary Night. The top 6 poets who survive the first round, will compete against the 6 poets who were knocked out in the final round of the First Preliminary Night. This will determine the top 6 poets. Both rounds will be 3 minutes long.
The Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (CIPS) will take place between April 26- 28 2023. CIPS is a nationally recognized poetry slam that brings together 24 poets from across the country to celebrate and battle through spoken word as part of the Verses Festival of Words. This year, the competition will take place in a hybrid format, with live in person shows in Vancouver, BC, as well as opportunities for poets to compete virtually.
Poets representing spoken word series and regions across what is colonially known as “Canada” will compete in a head-to-head tournament, presenting poems that are 1-4 minutes in length.
Winners of each head-to-head bout will be determined by a live vote chosen by 5 randomly appointed judges selected from the audience. We have chosen the head to head format this year, to introduce a new element of relationality, theatrics, and fun. We will go into more details around the logistics of this below. 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.

Recipe for the Future: Public Panels
2023-04-27 14:00 - 16:00 | Simon Fraser University Woodward’s, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
TICKETS
Featuring: Louise Bernice Halfe, Sheri-D Wilson, Charlie Petch, Missie Peters, Randell Adjei, El Jones, Brad Morden, Moe Clark, Anto Chan and Janice Jo Lee
Facilitated by: Kai Cheng Thom & Johnny Trinh
Where is Spoken Word today? What is the future of Spoken Word? This is a public panel, and open dialogue, truly bringing found family back around the table. There have been so many ruptures, setbacks, and challenges that have impacted Spoken Word globally.
“There is creation in recovery. There is a future in mending what is broken.” ~Johnny D Trinh

Poetry Performance Psychology Masterclass with Randell Adjei
2023-04-27 11:00 - 13:00 | Simon Fraser University Woodward’s, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
TICKETS
People don’t often remember what we say, they mostly remember how we made them feel. How do we maximize the dialogue(s) we have with our audiences?
Poetry / Spoken Word performances are one of the most powerful forms of communication. There is space between us and our audience that is sacred and bursting with possibility. Our time on stage is full of the pure potential to impact someone or simply share a moment, a laugh, a thought, an idea and/or more. In this workshop we will focus on the psychology of performance, the preparation before each performance and the mindset to embody the character behind our words. We will explore the rhyme and reason of why we pour on page and how to leave fire ablaze on every single stage we grace.

From Land & Sea: Double Feature Moe Clark & Anto Chan
2023-04-26 21:00 - 23:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS
Moe Clark: pê pikiskwê tastawayihk / come + speak in-between: calling between dimensions and timelines, this performance re-centres 2S creative continuance. activations of language, land + song animate sites of vibrant futurity in this dream portal.
Anto Chan: InnerGenerational: Trauma & Healing: the discovery and showcasing of the second-generation immigrant’s experience in finding our place in Canada. Many of us suffer in silence through mental health issues, shame, guilt, pressures to assimilate and confusion in who we are, always feeling stuck in the middle. With exploration of our lineage and complicated family history, we’re able to find where we belong through humour and poetry.
Broadcast live on POETV

CIPS Preliminary BOUT 1
2023-04-26 18:30 - 20:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS
Doors open at 6 pm
Broadcast live on POETV
CANADIAN INDIVIDUAL POETRY SLAM
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. 24 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.
Poets will be paired up via random draw and compete head-to-head. The first round is 2 minutes long. The second round is 3 minutes long.This will be a double knockout competition. Meaning 24 poets will compete with each other in 12 groups of 2. The second round will be 6 groups of 2, determining the top 6 poets of night 1. Bout two will be held on Thursday and Finals on Friday.

Mystery Box - Improvising Poetry with Missie Peters
2023-04-26 15:00 - 17:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS
Longtime creator, producer, poet, theatre maker with a passion for collaborative creation- Missie Peters leads an incredible workshop on improvising poetry. Explore new ways to create, and develop skills that will help you be absolutely present in every moment. This workshop will help poets listen, and be open to prompts, catalysts, and responses when performing.

Knife Skills - Stage Tech with Charlie Petch
2023-04-26 13:00 - 15:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS
A festival favourite, great for anyone who ever uses a microphone. After the poem is finished, words rehearsed, the only thing left is to hit the stage. Come learn from one of Canada’s most beloved poet, Charlie Petch, with decades of experience working professionally in theatre and production. Learn how to use the microphone, manage a stage, communicate with technicians to fulfill your vision of your performance.
Not in Vancouver? You can also take this workshop via zoom.

Oral Traditions
2023-04-25 21:00 - 23:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS all ages, $10 PWYC
A collaboration between the Native Hip Hop Festival Society and Vancouver Poetry House.
Join host and DJ Derek “ Manik 1derful “ Edenshaw and the powerful performers:

Wanda John-Kehewin celebrating the launch of her book, Spells, Wishes, and the Talking Dead: Mamahtâwisiwin, Pakosêyimow, Nikihci-âniskotâpân
Rex SMALLBOY, War Party’s founder, DJ and rapper will perform accapella poetry
Ms. Christie Lee, a representative of the host nations and amazing poet, will be sharing her work
Mama Rudegyal will share work that represents her Afro Indigenous roots
YellowBunny, of the new generation of Native Femcee will bless us with a accapella set and
Pakayagun, elder from the Michel First Nation will share his stories with us.

Broadcast live on POETV

Food Fight - Poems of Resistance and Roasting the Patriarchy
2023-04-25 18:30 - 20:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS all ages, $10 PWYC
Featuring: Andre Prefontaine, Kai Cheng Thom, El Jones, Janice Lee, Missie Peters, Charlie Petch, Fernando Riguero
Hosted by: Johnny Trinh
Laugh, cry, rage- come to see power house poets share poems of resistance.

Broadcast live on POETV

Carpenters, then Cooks- Community Workshop with Truth Is and Beth Anne Ellipsis
2023-04-25 14:00 - 16:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS
Spoken Word organizations across Turtle Island have needed to discover what survival, resilience, and community means during these unprecedented times. Truth Is and Beth Anne Ellipsis are the leaders of Guelph Poetry Slam, and have exemplified what an organization can look like. With core values grounded in decolonization, anti-oppression, and solidarity- come hear and learn from some of the country’s most treasured poets.
This is a hybrid event that can also be attended by Zoom.

Mashed Poetics 58 | Riot Grrrls
2023-04-24 21:00 - 22:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS $10 in advance and $15 at the door
A night of songs from the 90’s Riot Grrl movement performed by The Rebel Girls. Hear songs from Bikini Kill, L7, Le Tigre, The Linda Lindas and more. Plus 8 brand new poems inspired by this era of music and political activism.
Mashed Poetics is a night of spoken word and music mashup where a different musical theme or album is featured at every show. Mashed Poets has been going for over a decade now and we celebrated our 50th anniversary show last year at the Verses Festival of Words.
L7–Shit List/Janice Jo Lee
Linda Linda’s–Racist Sexist Boy/–Sonnet L’Abbe
Sleater Kinney–One More Hour/Jonina Kirton
Datsu–Hikage No Onna/Beth Anne
Bratmobile–Cool Schmool/Mohini Takhar aka Mo the Poet
Le Tigre–Deceptacon/Cecily Nicholson
7 Year Bitch–Knot/Karen Garrabrant
Bikini Kill–Rebel Girl/Antonette Rea
Broadcast live on POETV

Famous Last Words
2023-04-24 18:30 - 20:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
TICKETS $10 in advance and $15 at the door
In Famous Last Words, five contestants or raconteurs attempt to win their way into the heart of our master of ceremonies, Sara Bynoe through games designed to test their literary, cultural, current affairs and comedic merit. With the assistance of the audience our master of ceremonies will decide who performs a climate change poem best while dolphining a balloon on their nose; whose picture of a puppy most looks like a famous poet, whose family friendly limerick most resembles a pandemic press release and whose love poem directed at another panelist is most provocative, etc. For this episode we are very proud to present Andre Prefontaine, Charlie Petch, Dina Del Bucchia, RC Weslowski, Truth Is… as our raconteurs while Johnny MacRae will be returning to play Death and Uni the Unicorn.
Broadcast live on POETV

Breaking Bread
2023-04-23 19:00 - 21:00 | The York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L3W3, Canada
TICKETS
The official opening of Verses, hosted by Artistic Director, Johnny D Trinh; with a feature performance celebrating some of Spoken Word’s most honoured poets:

Joseph Tony Dandurand
Louise Bernice Halfe
Evelyn Lau
Sheri-D Wilson
Veda Hille

With special guests El Jones, Kai Cheng Thom

Hullabaloo
2023-04-20 17:30 - 2023-04-22 23:00 | Vancouver Film School | VFS Cafe, 390 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hullabaloo is BC’s Youth Spoken Word Festival. Students representing high schools from around the province share their poetry to appreciative audiences every year. Find out what the youth have to say.
All events will take place at the Vancouver Film School and all events are FREE
Spoken Word Jamboree and Alumni Showcase
Thursday, April 20, 6:00-9:00PM
The showcase will feature past Hullabaloo champions and integral poets from the festival’s history.
All Star Showcase
Friday, April 21, 2023 – 3:30 pm
The Hullabaloo All Stars are going to set you spinning round with a whirlwind of spoken word! Taking their cue from each preceding poem, poets will play off one another in rounds in this showcase of poems (and the poets who poem them!) living in conversation with one another. The round robin format allows the artists to respond to one another and build the energy in a spontaneous way. If you’ve ever seen a ‘workshop stage’ at a folk festival, you’ll know how exciting it is to see artists perform in this more relaxed and informal atmosphere where anything can happen. with Andre Prefontaine, Janice Jo Lee, Truth Is… Beth Anne Ellipsis and host Tawahum
Hullabaloo Poetry Slam Round 1!
Friday April 21nd 6:00-9:00PM
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!
Early Bouts: 6 PM
Late Bouts: 8 PM
Adventures in Poetryland
Saturday, April 22 10AM
Youth poets take up to two workshops designed to help expand their poetic horizons and learn about the breadth of spoken word from professional poets. Participants select workshops on offer by Andre Prefontaine, Janice Jo Lee, Truth Is… and Beth Anne Ellipsis .
Hullabaloo Poetry Slam Round 2!
Saturday, April 22, Early Bouts: 1 PM, Late Bouts: 3 PM
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!
Hullabaloo Feature Performance and Team Piece Showcase
Saturday, April 22, 6:00-9:00PM
Hullabaloo Team Finals featuring El Jones
Four Hullabaloo Finalists compete for the Billy Sharkespeare Trophy! Feature performance by El Jones.

VanSlam: Open Mic feat. Al Mader
2023-04-17 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Hey poetry peeps!
Come join us for another night of poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Al Mader!

A bit about them:
Al Mader’s persona is the court jester in our kingdom of privilege. He is standing in the shadows accompanying his verses with his washtub bass. The constant tremolo in his voice and the whacky images in his poems are almost funny, but we can’t laugh at his stories.
Mader tells stories in a talking blues style, asking why the fuck we continue and who will mourn our passing. The driving rhythm of the washtub bass and his forceful delivery push the piece out of the purely sentimental and into a realm more disturbing, more unsettling yet we are entertained by all of Mader’s performances.
Somewhere under the rain in East Vancouver, Al Mader is setting up his washtub bass. He is thumping out oracles, they are vaguely funny but mostly they are inexpressibly sad. The message seeps through our indifference. It lodges and percolates.
Like all the great jesters who live in the courts of mad kings, Al Mader is trying to save some lives. His own for sure, but also our own. He’s trying to distract the great and privileged and in a moment of inattention maybe a few of the underlings can flee to safety. Though it is unclear where flight may take them, they’ll live to fight (or flee) another day.

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

Van Slam: Open Mic Feat. Erin Kirsh
2023-04-10 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Hey poetry peeps!
Come join us for another night of poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Erin Kirsh!

A bit about them: Erin Kirsh is a writer, bookseller, and publishing professional based in Vancouver. She was a member of the 2012 and 2013 Van Slam Poetry team and served as the Managing Director of Verses Festival of Words in 2016. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in several literary journals. Kirsh is pretty good at Super Smash Brothers, not great at guitar, and bad at guessing where tape starts on the roll.

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

Van Slam Finals: Feat. Nisha Patel
2023-04-03 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
It’s time for our Van Slam Finals! Poets will slam for their chance to be our Representative for the upcoming Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship, and be awarded the championship slam wrestling style belt (with your name engraved on it!)
As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space. We’ll also have a featured set from NIsha Patel!
A bit about them: Nisha Patel is the Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Edmonton. An award-winning disabled queer spoken word poet & multimedia artist, she is a Canadian Poetry Slam Champion and holds a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University. Her debut poetry collection, COCONUT (NeWest Press) was a finalist of the ABPA Regional Book of the Year. She is currently finishing her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia, where she is writing her first graphic novel. Nisha’s latest works include multimodal inquiries into disabled life. She is currently working on promoting her newest chapbook, How to get a Thigh Gap (Collusion Books).

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.
Sign up to slam will start at 7:30 both in person and online.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

Van Slam: Slam and Open Mic feat. Rebecca Thomas
2023-03-27 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Come join us for another night of slam poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Rebecca Thomas!

A bit about them: Rebcca Thomas is an award winning Mi’kmaw poet and activist who does not want to be a poet or activist. She just happens to be good enough at poetry and persuasion to get people to listen but her ultimate goal is to make Canada a better place for her Indigenous community because so many people tend to forget they were here first. She has accidentally found herself as the former Poet Laureate of Halifax. She has performed with the Halluci Nation and has spoken and lectured at conferences and coffee houses from coast to coast. She writes kids books about growing up the child of a residential school survivor. Her first book I’m Finding My Talk has been shortlisted for the First Nations Community Reads Award. Her most recent collection of poetry called “I place you into the fire” was listed as one of CBC’s top 20 books of 2020. Her book “Swift Fox All Along” was a finalist for the 2020 Governor General’s Award for children’s literature. She has an upcoming children’s book called “The Chair” set for a 2024 publishing date. She pays her bills by helping students who are overwhelmed with life and studies as a Student Services Advisor at the Nova Scotia Community College.

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.
Sign up to slam will start at 7:30 both in person and online.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.

Van Slam: Open Mic feat. Heather Haley
2023-03-20 20:00 - 22:00 | community pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4A8
Hey poetry peeps!
Come join us for another night of poetry! As always, our event is in our hybrid live & online format. Bring your selves and your words to Community Pizza, 1191 Commercial Dr, or to the Van Slam zoom space.

We will also have a live feature set from the amazing Heather Haley!

A bit about them:Heather Haley is a Vancouver writer, singer, and videopoetry pioneer. A member of the punk band, the 45s, and the originator of the all-female group, the Zellots, Haley’s edgy style stems in part, from her days in the Los Angeles underground music scene. Known for pushing boundaries by creatively integrating disciplines, genres and media, she published “The Edgewise Café,” one of Canada’s first electronic literary magazines and as AURAL released CDs of spoken word song, “Princess Nut” and “Surfing Season.” She is the author of poetry collections: “Sideways,” “Three Blocks West of Wonderland,” “Skookum Raven” and a novel, “The Town Slut’s Daughter.” Her work has toured Canada, the US and Europe and appeared in a wide range of periodicals and anthologies. Committed to honesty, feeling, craft and a sense of the absurd, Haley continues to ask all the tough questions “a nice girl’s not supposed to ask” and performs in indie folk duo, The Pluviophiles.

Doors will open @ 7 pm both in person & online, show starts @ 8 pm.

Tix for our live event are $10-15 sliding scale, online tix are pay what you can.
Both online and live tix in advance can be found here: Tickets
Or just head on down and get a ticket at the door!

Masking Policy:
Masks are strongly encouraged, but the venue is a restaurant and members of the audience will be maskless.
