Vancouver Poetry House

Rhythm, Water & Words: Fluid Lyricism
2022-04-30 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Vancouver) | Vancity Culture Lab, The Cultch (C-Lab), 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2H6, Canada
Tickets
Doors at 7, show at 7:30
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
Featuring Titilope Sonuga, Britta B. and Tonye Aganaba
In this special, festival-closing event, Edmonton Poet Laureate Titilope Sonuga will be matched with fellow award-winning spoken word artist and trailblazer Britta B, and acclaimed Vancouver-based musician Tonye to bring us an evening of musical, poetic storytelling. Together, these artists will take us on a journey through melody, rhythm and word that will leave audiences feeling captivated,empowered and courageous.
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.

We will follow: A performance of poetry and stories from Kwantlen First Nation Poet and Storyteller Joseph Dandurand
2022-04-30 14:00 - 15:30 | Vancity Culture Lab, The Cultch (C-Lab), 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2H6, Canada
Tickets
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
Joseph A. Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River about 20 minutes east of Vancouver. He resides there with his 3 children Danessa, Marlysse, and Jace. Joseph is the Director of the Kwantlen Cultural Center. Joseph received a Diploma in Performing Arts from Algonquin College and studied Theatre and Direction at the University of Ottawa. He has just completed his residency as the Storyteller in Residence at the Vancouver Public Library. He sits on a committee for the Canadian Museum of History and is tasked with consulting on the redesign of the new Children’s Museum. He has published 13 books of poetry and the latest are: I WANT by Leaf Press (2015) and HEAR AND FORETELL by BookLand Press (2015) The Rumour (2018) by BookLand Press in (2018) SH:LAM (the doctor) Mawenzi Press (2019) The Corrupted by Guernica Press (2020) his children’s play: Th’owixiya: the hungry Feast dish by Playwrights Press Canada (2019) his book of short stories and short plays for children: The Sasquatch, the fire, and the cedar basket will be published by Nightwood Press along with his poetry manuscript: Here we come (2020-21) He also is very busy Storytelling at many events and Schools.
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.

Masterclass with Rudy Francisco
2022-04-30 12:00 - 13:30 | Vancity Culture Lab, The Cultch (C-Lab), 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2H6, Canada
Tickets
Rudy Francisco is one of the most recognizable names in Spoken Word Poetry. He was born, raised and still resides in San Diego, California. At the age of 21, Rudy completed his B.A in Psychology and decided to continue his education by pursuing a M.A in Organizational Studies. As an artist, Rudy Francisco is an amalgamation of social critique, introspection, honesty and humor. He uses personal narratives to discuss the politics of race, class, gender and religion while simultaneously pinpointing and reinforcing the interconnected nature of human existence.
Rudy Francisco seeks to create work that promotes healthy dialogue, discourse and social change. Furthermore, Rudy has made conscious efforts to cultivate young poets and expose the youth to the genre of Spoken Word Poetry via coaching, workshops and performances at preparatory schools and community centers. Rudy has also received admiration from institutions of higher education. He has conducted guest lectures and performances at countless colleges and universities across the nation.
Rudy Francisco has shared stages with prominent artists such as Gladys Knight, Jordin Sparks, Musiq Soul Child, and Jill Scott. He is also the co-host of the largest poetry venue in San Diego, competes in domestic and international poetry slam competitions and had the honor of being nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Ultimately, Rudy’s goal is to continue to assist others in harnessing their creativity while cultivating his own. Rudy Francisco is the 2009 National Underground Poetry Slam Champion, 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion and appeared on TV One’s “Verses and Flow”

CIPS Finals
2022-04-29 19:00 - 22:00 | BC
with Rudy Francisco and Zayn
Tickets
Doors at 7, show at 7:30
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
The top 4 poets from Preliminary Round 1, and the top 4 poets from Second Chance Night will go head to head. The knockout format is as follows: 4 groups of 2 performing 2 minute poems, 2 groups of 2 performing 3 minute poems, 1 group of 2 performing 4 minute poems – and then the last poet standing will be crowned the CIPS winner.
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.

Pleasant Politics of Euphony
2022-04-29 14:00 - 16:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
Tickets
a Masterclass with Britta B.
free for CIPS Poets who register two weeks in advance
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
By focusing on fundamental performance skills and an experimental lens of sound, participants will work toward deepening their connection to what tone, emotion, harmony, and poetic timing reveals about a poem. This masterclass welcomes all levels of writers, creatives, and performers who seek to develop their performance skills. Please bring a poem or short story (30 lines/sentences), in any language, to work with. Materials can be original or borrowed.
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.

CIPS Preliminary Bout 2
2022-04-28 19:00 - 21:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
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. This will be a double knockout competition. The poets competing will be the 8 poets who lost in the First Preliminary Night. Then the top 4 poets who survive the first round, will compete against the 4 poets who were knocked out in the final round of the First Preliminary Night. This will determine the top 4 poets. Once again the first round is 3 minutes long. The second round is 1 minute long.
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.

How to Film a Live Performance
2022-04-28 13:00 - 16:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
Tickets
free for CIPS Poets who register two weeks in advance
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
Learn about the gear and workflow process for filming your own performance. This is a hands-on workshop with Wonderful Ida. Get ready to record yourself performing your poem and leave the workshop with a performance to share online.
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.

Welcome to Poetry Lab
2022-04-28 10:00 - 12:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
Tickets, WISE Hall
Tickets, Zoom
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
Welcome to Poetry Lab is a panel and talk back session that provides an opportunity to hear about our existing programs, learn how to get involved and discuss how we, as poets and organisers, can approach current digital opportunities to imagine new, innovative and sustainable arts practices for ourselves and our community.
The panel will include Brad Morden, Poetry Lab Director; Wonderful Ida, Production Manager; ZG Stories representatives, Poetry Lab Public Relations; Brandon Wint, Poetry Lab Artist and Special Guests.
Audience members can participate in this event in-person at the WISE Hall or online in Zoom.
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.

CIPS Preliminary Bout 1
2022-04-27 19:00 - 21:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
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.

How to Create an Animated Video Poem
2022-04-27 13:00 - 16:00 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
Tickets
free for CIPS poets who register two weeks in advance
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
Learn how to use Canva to create an animated video of your own poem. This is a hands-on workshop with video editor extraordinaire, Wonderful Ida. Bring your laptop and leave with a video of your poem that’s ready to share online.
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.

Vengeance du Savage
2022-04-26 19:00 - 21:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
Tickets, all ages, PWYC
Doors at 6:30, show at 7pm
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
A celebration at the failed attempts to silence the Native voice. A collaboration between the Native Hip Hop Festival Society and Vancouver Poetry House featuring Savage Family, Enigma the Poet, Ostwelve, Dani Lion, Tawahum, Sakawnee Baker, Sekoya Baker and Brenn DaCity.
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.

Mashed Poetics 54 | Hairway to Heaven
2022-04-25 19:00 - 22:30 | The WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5L4E5, Canada
Monday, April 25, 7-10:30PM PST
Tickets $10 in advance and $15 at the door
Doors at 7, Show at 8
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
A night of 80s glam metal as performed by acclaimed hair metal cover band, “Feathered Spandex” featuring the songs of Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, The Scorpions, Heart, Ratt, Motley Crue and more. Plus 10 new poems inspired by the music. Bring your spandex, leggings, hairdos and be ready to bang your head to these 80’s classics.
The poets performing this year are:
Magpie Ulysses
Joseph Dandurand
Tania De Rozario
Britta B.
Icy Gaze

Derek Edenshaw
Billy Tuggle
Catherine Lewis
Johnny MacRae
Neko Smart

Plus Hair Metal Trivia with a chance to win tickets to see Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Joan Jett and Poison Labour Day Weekend. Lots of other fun prizes too. Enter at the show.
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.
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.

STAGE TO PAGE: The Music Edition
2022-04-24 14:00 - 17:00 | Vancity Culture Lab, The Cultch (C-Lab), 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2H6, Canada
Tickets
Doors at 1:30, Show at 2pm
If available, tickets will also be sold at the door.
Masterclass & Jam Session
Featuring: C.R. Avery, Kimmortal, Chelsea D.E. Johnson, Krystal Kiran, Veda Hille and Jaymee Mak
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 2022.
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 Broadway, Film & Television, 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.
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.

Hullabaloo Final's Night Feature and Team Piece Showcase
2022-04-23 18:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Tickets
Hullabaloo evening events are open to students, parents and teachers. Event organizers with provide the registration link for attendees.
Billie the Kid is as the featured poet for Hullabaloo Finals.

Following Billie the Kid we’ll have our first ever team piece showcase. Schools will have submitted pre recorded performances of their team pieces they’ve be preparing for the festival. Team pieces can include a minimum of 2 poets up to a maximum of 6 poets.
Hullabaloo is BC’s Youth Spoken Word Festival featuring workshops, showcase performances and some of BC’s finest high school-aged poets all sharing work for peers and audiences alike. The festival is a forum where youth tell their stories, explore the issues that matter to them, and find their voice. Hullabaloo gathers poets from across British Columbia, connecting them together into a community of writers.
School teams come together to compete in slams, participate in workshops, see great feature poets, and connect with other writers.Events at the festival include an alumni showcase, a youth video poem screening, a team piece showcase plus our annual Spoken Word Jamboree and closing night Feature Performance. Schools from around the province are invited to attend.
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.

Hullabaloo Video Poem Festival
2022-04-22 18:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Hullabaloo evening events are open to students, parents and teachers. Event organizers with provide the registration link for attendees.
Hullabaloo presents the 2nd annual Hullabaloo Videopoem Festival celebrating the best in youth video poetics. There will be awards for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Animation, Best Poem and Audience Favourite” Winners will be determined by a panel of judges and of course, you, the audience.
Hullabaloo is BC’s Youth Spoken Word Festival featuring workshops, showcase performances and some of BC’s finest high school-aged poets all sharing work for peers and audiences alike. The festival is a forum where youth tell their stories, explore the issues that matter to them, and find their voice. Hullabaloo gathers poets from across British Columbia, connecting them together into a community of writers.
School teams come together to compete in slams, participate in workshops, see great feature poets, and connect with other writers.Events at the festival include an alumni showcase, a youth video poem screening, a team piece showcase plus our annual Spoken Word Jamboree and closing night Feature Performance. Schools from around the province are invited to attend.
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.

Spoken Word Jamboree and Alumni Showcase
2022-04-21 18:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Tickets
Hullabaloo evening events are open to students, parents and teachers. Event organizers with provide the registration link for attendees.
Kimmortal kicks off the festival with a feature performance to be followed by our inaugural Hullabaloo Alumni Showcase. The showcase will feature past Underground Indies Champions, Team Champions and Integral Poets from our history. This year’s Alumni performers are: Jeremiah Gittens, Santiago Urena, Angelic Goldsky, Anahita Monfared and Nadia Alikashani.
Hullabaloo is BC’s Youth Spoken Word Festival featuring workshops, showcase performances and some of BC’s finest high school-aged poets all sharing work for peers and audiences alike. The festival is a forum where youth tell their stories, explore the issues that matter to them, and find their voice. Hullabaloo gathers poets from across British Columbia, connecting them together into a community of writers.
School teams come together to compete in slams, participate in workshops, see great feature poets, and connect with other writers.Events at the festival include an alumni showcase, a youth video poem screening, a team piece showcase plus our annual Spoken Word Jamboree and closing night Feature Performance. Schools from around the province are invited to attend.
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.

Coping Practice for Performers
2022-04-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
with Charlie Petch
Tickets
Free for CIPS poets, register with the CIPS promo code
As performers we are often told to “Leave it all onstage”. Sometimes this propels us into sharing things we are not ready for, or retraumatizations. In this workshop we will have discussions about what we need to take care of ourselves onstage and off. There will be time to share your own best practices, and experiences. Be ready to engage in, or witness; frank discussion, humour as technique, and coping practices for performance.
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.
There will be ASL interpreters at this event.

Van Slam Feat. Cobra Collins
2022-03-28 19:00 - 21:30 | Zoom
Tickets

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.

Hey Vancouver poetry peeps! It’s time to meet up once more online! Bring your selves and your words to the Van Slam zoom space for a fun relaxed slam featuring the one and only powerhouse poet Cobra Collins! (bio below)

Sign up will be Start at 7:00. Tix run from free to $10. If you don’t have the means please just come for free, if you can donate by purchasing a ticket it really helps us at Van Slam keep offering shows and hopefully moving back to full time live/hybrid shows.
Hope you can drop in, I’d love to see y’all!

Cobra Collins is a Mohkínstsis based mixed Indigenous and Metis poet of significant height. She has represented our city on a national level at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word as well as collaborated with artists of different backgrounds for dance (Fluid Movements Arts Festival) and performance festivals (IKG 1 ! Live Performance Festival). Cobra was also honoured to be shortlisted as a nominee for Calgary’s 2016 & 2018 poet laureate.

2022-02-28 19:00 - 22:00 | Zoom
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.
Hey Vancouver poetry peeps! It’s time to meet up once more online! Bring your selves and your words to the Van Slam zoom space for a fun relaxed slam featuring the amazing, powerful and just generally awesome Dwennimmen aka Shima Robinson! (bio below)
Sign up will be Start at 7:00 and tix are found through the “go to link” button through eventbrite. Tix run from free to $10. If you don’t have the means please just come for free, if you can donate by purchasing a ticket it really helps us at Van Slam keep offering shows and hopefully moving back to full time to live/hybrid shows like the very successful Love Slam earlier this month. Hope you can drop in, I’d love to see y’all!
Shima Robinson aka Dwennimmen bio: Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton – Treaty 6) born poet and spoken word artist Shima Robinson embodies, with every poem, the ancient meaning of her chosen pen name. Dwennimmen is the name of an ancient African Adinkra symbol, which means strength, humility, learning and wisdom. It is no surprise, then, that this veteran of the Alberta poetry community uses a searing intellect and dynamic precision-of-language to create poetry which ushers her readers and listeners toward greater understanding and poignant reflection. For Dwennimmen, poetry has long been a compass, a salve, an anchor and guiding light. She uses the potential and force of poetry to uncover the full range of her cerebral, linguistic and spiritual fortitude. This is why her every poem and performance testifies to an emerging power and wisdom, an authentic, deeply human potency which she hopes to pass on to listeners and poetry-lovers around the world.

Love Slam
2022-02-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Next Door, 1636 venables st, Vancouver, BC, V5L2H2, Canada
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.
Hey Vancouver poetry peeps! It’s time to meet up once more and share our words, this time live in person! Bring your selves and your words to the Slice of Life Gallery for a fun relaxed slam on Valentines Day, The Love Slam! (And by love we definitely mean whatever kinda love you wanna talk about)
Our 2 features for the evening will be Karen G. beaming in virtually from Georgia & Tawahum live and in person! (bios below)
Live Tix $10-15 available through Slice of Life Gallery at this link:
https://square.link/u/UVT5uoDn
We will have 5 sponsored spots If you don’t have the means just ask (first come first served).
Online tickets are here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/…/the-love-slam-featuring…
As soon as you purchase a ticket you can pre-sign up to slam by emailing: slamcoordinator@vancouverpoetryhouse.com
There will be cash prizes for the Slam!!
IMPORTANT – This event is BYOB.
Here’s how that works:
– You get to bring what you want to drink (pre-mixed beverages)
– When you arrive alcohol drinks will be handed to staff who give you a ticket, which you show to get your drink(s) when you need ’em. Other drinks are yours.
– You tip the bar staff as per usual.
– You can bring whatever food you want as well, but are responsible for the garbage.
Hope you can drop in, We’d love to see y’all!
Bios:
Karen G. is a poet, host & co-founder of Art Amok Poetry Slam and Cliterati the monthly series in partnership with Charis Books & More
She’s a presence, voice, supporter, coach, board member & overall spoken word and slam poetry networker & advocate for twenty-plus years in the Atlanta area & beyond. She won a lifetime achievement award from Capturing Fire and served for many years as a tournament director, board member, and volunteer for the National Poetry Slam. Published in various anthologies by Swimming with Elephants and Write Bloody, among others and makes her own chapbooks for featured readings. She works at Emory University’s main library in daylight hours.
CASHAPP $KarenGarrabrant
Tawahum Bige is a Łutselkʼe Dene, Plains Cree poet and spoken word artist from unceded Musqueam, Squamish & Tsleil-Waututh Territory (Vancouver). Their Scorpio-moon-ass poems expose growth, resistance & persistence as a hopeless Two Spirit Nonbinary sadboy on occupied Turtle Island. With a BA in Creative Writing from KPU, Tawahum has performed at countless festivals with poems featured in numerous publications. His land protection work versus Trans Mountain pipeline expansion had him face incarceration in 2020. Check Tawahum’s debut collection of poetry, Cut to Fortress in Spring 2022, published by Nightwood Editions along with his debut EP set to release alongside. Find him online @Tawahum on Instagram, twitter and more.

VanSlam featuring Icy Gaze
2022-01-31 19:30 - 21:30 | Zoom
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.
Hey Vancouver poetry peeps! It’s time to meet up once more and share our words! Bring your selves and your words to the Van Slam zoom space for a fun relaxed slam where we will give away cash prizes! (bio below)
Sign up will Start at 7:00 and tix are found through the “go to link” button through eventbrite. Tix run from free to $10. If you don’t have the means please just come for free, if you can donate by purchasing a ticket even for $1 or $2 or more if you can it really helps us at Van Slam keep offering shows and hopefully moving back to live/hybrid shows in the new year.
Hope you can drop in, I’d love to see y’all!
ICY GAZE uses poetry to befriend their own soul and hopefully play with yours. Born in Indonesia and based on Turtle Island, they have been cultivating their poetic dexterity for over ten years. They blossomed as a spoken word poet on the UBC and Vancouver Poetry Slam stages, eventually featuring and competing nationally. Inspired by the literary tradition in their South Asian roots, ICY’s poetry is a journey of overcoming shame, guilt, and grief by shattering illusions, showing up in the present as authentically as possible, and becoming love.

Van Slam - OMG it's the Holidays (whatever the heck that means) open mic Feat Angelic Goldsky
2021-12-20 19:30 | Zoom
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.
Hey Vancouver poetry peeps! It’s time to meet up once more in this calendar year to celebrate or make fun of (respectfully), or whatever the holidays, whatever holidays means to you! Bring your selves and your words to the Van Slam zoom space for a fun relaxed open mic featuring the amazing, fun, super creative and just generally awesome Angelic Goldsky! (bio below)
Sign up will be Start at 7:30 and tix are found through the “go to link” button through eventbrite. Tix run from free to $10. If you don’t have the means please just come for free, if you can donate by purchasing a ticket even for $1 or $2 or more if you can it really helps us at Van Slam keep offering shows and hopefully moving back to live/hybrid shows in the new year.
Hope you can drop in, I’d love to see y’all!
Angelic Goldsky [t(he?)y] is a poet. & a poetry educator-excavator, queer arts expressions facilitator, clown-alchemist, multiverse eater, gender binary abolitionist, celebration producer, media studier, magical historian, jewish-russian-queer-trans-zakaznik (breath) who hates taxidermies and loves timelessness.

Legends Slam
2021-11-18 20:00 - 22:00 | Vancity Culture Lab, The Cultch (C-Lab), 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2H6, Canada
The Vancouver Poetry Slam is back Live! On November 18th come to C-lab at The Cultch to see the Live Legends Slam! Our 4 legendary slam icons: RC Weslowski, Magpie Ulysses, Johnny MacRae & Johnny Trinh will take on 4 challengers in a head to head slam battle. Along with this awesome slam battle another slam icon, Brandon Wint will dazzle and soothe you with his word wizardry as our feature performer.
There are only 60 tickets available event so go to https://vancouverpoetryhouse.eventbrite.ca/ to grab yours quick before they sell out!
Brandon Wint is an Ontario born poet and spoken word artist who uses poetry to attend to the joy and devastation and inequity associated with this era of human and ecological history. For Brandon, the written and spoken word is a tool for examining and enacting his sense of justice, and imagining less violence futures for himself and the world he has inherited. For more than a decade, Brandon has been a sought-after, touring performer, and has presented his work in the United States, Australia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Jamaica. His poems and essays have been published in national anthologies, including The Great Black North: Contemporary African-Canadian Poetry (Frontenac House, 2013) and Black Writers Matter (University of Regina Press, 2019). Divine Animal is his debut book of poetry.
Johnny D Trinh, is an interdisciplinary, community-engaged artist focused in spoken word, theatre, and creative technology. Johnny is founder, and artistic producer of Stage to Page Performance Society, and is based on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Selected highlights: TedX Bearcreek Park, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts: Fever Rising, Naked Heart Festival; BC Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture: Multiculturalism Awards, Banff Centre: Spoken Word Program Alumni, Verses Festival of Words. “It takes a community to build an artist… whether we are nurtured by it, or resist against it.”
Writer, Rabble Rouser, fancy talker; Magpie Ulysses began performing at the age of 17 to save her life. She has performed across North America and is a veteran of the national poetry slam community in Canada where she was a member of two national champion Vancouver poetry slam teams. She was named a Poet of Honour at the Canadian festival Of Spoken Word in the Fall of 2012. A bit of a witch, a nature freak and an activist at heart, Magpie is known for her visceral, often surrealist writings that extend from the everyday human experience into the depths of natural and inanimate worlds. Magpie has spent much of the past decade heavily involved in the arts while living in and around rural BC and Southern Ontario. Having spent the past few years raising a new human and past many years caring for her grandmother through Alzheimer’s disease, she has become increasingly interested in questions surrounding genetic memory, place, body, grief, aging and how we choose to tell our own stories.
Johnny MacRae is a mouthy poet and barefoot beard. Beloved of angry cats everywhere, MacRae’s poems hit like fuzzy paws with bloody retractable claws. He has toured widely as a featured artist at poetry series as well as poetry, music and arts festivals, leaving mountains of slain rats in his wake. Victoria Spoken Word Festivals’ 2013 Poet of Honor, MacRae asks you to open your doors long enough for him to decide whether he wants to stay inside, or go outside, or stay inside. His poems have been described as “so energetic, it’s no wonder he sleeps 18 hours a day.”
RC Weslowski is the 2021 Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award Winner and The 2016 Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award Winner. He’s been co host the radio program Wax Poetic on Co Op Radio for 20 years and is the Artistic Director for Hullabaloo: The BC Youth Spoken Word Festival RC’s first collection of poetry “My Soft Response to the Wars” is available now from Write Bloody North Publishing www.writebloodynorth.ca

CIPS Finals
2021-05-01 18:30 - 22:30 | POETV, https://www.caffeine.tv/, Canada
To celebrate the close of Verses Festival of Words 2021, and National Poetry Month, the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam culminates in an amazing finale that is not to be missed.
Come watch the final round of CIPS, where the top 10 competing spoken word poets will go head-to-head in 5 intense matches, followed by the top 5 poets in an all-out poetry melee to determine our champion this year. Hosted by: Johnny D Trinh, with guest judges: Nisha Patel, Andre Prefontaine.
There will be ASL interpreters at the CIPS Final.
The finale will also feature:

Performances from past champions including: Q, and Andre Prefontaine!
Presentation of the Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Award
Tribute to poets by poets in memoriam including:

Diane Di Prima – honoured by Sheri-D Wilson
Michael McLure – honoured by CR Avery
RM Vaughan – honoured by Billeh Nickerson
Taran Kootenhayoo – honoured by Shane Sable

Live on POETV

Pre and Post Show CIPS Finals
2021-05-01 17:30 - 21:30 | POETV, https://www.caffeine.tv/, Canada
Pre and post show with Ian Keteku and special guests
on POETV

CIPS Preliminaries Day 2
2021-04-30 18:30 - 20:30 | Poetv, https://www.caffeine.tv/poetv, Canada
The 16 semi-finalists (8 from 1st preliminary night + 8 from 2nd preliminary night) will compete in the same head-to-head fashion, with random draws determining each of the pairings. The winning 8 poets will move onto the finals.
Live on POETV

CIPS Preliminaries Day 1
2021-04-29 18:30 - 20:30 | POETV, https://www.caffeine.tv/, Canada
On each evening of prelim competition, 16 poets will be drawn at random to compete head-to-head on the first preliminary night of the festival. They will be paired up via random draw. The 8 winning poets from each night of prelims will move onto the semi-finals.
Live on POETV

Collective and Individual Poetry Creation with Lee Maracle
2021-04-29 15:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
We do not have to write alone. We can riff off one another as we immerse ourselves in poetry creation. We will do both individual work and collective work in this workshop. Poetry strengthens the body, sharpens the mind and engages the heart and spirit. There will be ASL interpreters at this workshop.
FREE, REGISTER HERE
Lee Maracle speaks out as a critic of the treatment of Indigenous people by the Canadian state, and she particularly highlights the issues relating to Indigenous women. She was one of the first Indigenous people to be published in the early 1970s.
Lee Maracle is one of the most prolific Indigenous authors in Canada and a recognized authority on issues pertaining to Indigenous people and Indigenous literature. She is an award-winning poet, novelist, performance storyteller, scriptwriter, actor and keeper/mythmaker among the Sto:lo people.
Lee Maracle has given hundreds of speeches on political, historical, and Feminist Sociological topics related to Indigenous people, and conducted dozens of workshops on personal and cultural reclamation.
Her newest poetry book, Hope Matters, was written in conjunction with her daughters Columpa Bobb and Tania Carter, and was published in 2019.

El Jones Feature Performance and Workshop
2021-04-28 15:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
El Jones will lead participants in a FREE writing workshop that will develop beginner, intermediate, and core skills in writing for page and stage. All skill levels, members of the public, and students welcome! There will be ASL interpreters at this workshop.
FREE, REGISTER HERE
El Jones is a poet, professor and activist living in Halifax. She was born in Wales and grew up in Winnipeg. She was Halifax’s Poet Laureate from 2013 to 2015. Her book, Live From the Afrikan Resistance! published in 2014 by Roseway, an imprint of Fernwood Publishing, is a collection of poems about resisting white colonialism. In 2015, she was a resident at the In at University of Iowa. Her work focuses on social justice issues such as feminism, prison abolition, anti-racism, and decolonizaternation; she wrote in the Washington Post in June 2020 about “the realities of white-supremacist oppression that black people in Canada have long experienced.”
Since 2016, she has co-hosted a radio show called Black Power Hour on CKDU-FM, an educational program which provides information on Black history and culture aimed at incarcerated people. Listeners from prisons call in to rap and read poetry that they have written, providing a voice to people who rarely get a wide audience.

Mashed Sabbath 50
2021-04-27 19:00 - 21:30 | POETV, https://www.caffeine.tv/, Canada
Mashed Poetics is a night of spoken word and music mashup. Established in 2009 this will be the 50th edition of Mashed Poetics (a Verses Festival mainstay) and we’ll be featuring Black Sabbath’s album Paranoid. 9 different poets will create new works to perform at this event including the reunion of the 1996 Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. It’s the 25th anniversary of their barrier breaking trip and performances at the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon. We’ll also have our Sabbath cover band Rat Salad shaking the rafters and rumbling some thunder for everyone who joins us.
Live on POETV
Side A
War Pigs–Justin McGrail
Paranoid–Deanna Smith
Planet Caravan–S.R. Duncan
Iron Man–Alexandra Oliver
Side B
Electric Funeral–David Geary
Hand of Doom–Brandon Wint
Rat Salad–Khodi Dill
Faeries Wear Boots–Cass King

Rat Salad, the band, the myth, the legend! The band first crawled forth from the primordial sludge of The Great Recession for the inaugural Mashed Poetics in May 2009 and lo and behold, the recession ended! Now, 12 years later they return for the 50th anniversary Mashed Sabbath show ready to crush the Global Pandemic under their heels. Spillious the ridiculous one, the only person present for all 50 Mashed shows, returns to lead the group with virus melting guitar wizardry and the voice of an angel or perhaps a shrieking crow. This time around they are joined by the rhythm section from Hazel Blackburn, Vancouver’s finest purveyors of Godzilla rock. Neil Homulos, a veteran of 28 Mashed Poetics shows, will beat your pandemic blues away on the drums and Shawn Penner provides the thumping bass line antidotes. No need to worry about when you’ll get the vaccine, Rat Salad has the cure, metal, metal and MORE METAL!
