You can purchase your Verses Festival pass for $75 here. Pass-holders must arrive at events early. All events are general admission. A portion of event capacity has been held specifically for passholders. 15 minutes before show time, spots unclaimed by passholders are released to be sold at the door. This means that … Continued
The first slam event of Hullabaloo - and it's a doozy!! A head-to-head off mic and in-the-round poetry slam where winners are chosen by sound of applause. 16 poets enter. 1 emerges victorious. Everyone wins.
“Awesome day! My students were so pumped and spoke about it for days afterwards.” - Lorisse Humphries, Chilliwack Middle School The always popular Hullabaloo All Star Slam at the Rio Theatre returns this year, featuring a battle between Canadian spoken word all stars! The 2018 edition of the All Star Slam sees … Continued
![[ID: Zoey Roy stands with one arm gesturing towards the camera, while looking directly at it with a slight smile/end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Zoey-300x300-1.jpg "Zoey-300×300")
“Awesome day! My students were so pumped and spoke about it for days afterwards.” - Lorisse Humphries, Chilliwack Middle School The always popular Hullabaloo All Star Slam at the Rio Theatre returns this year, featuring a battle between Canadian spoken word all stars! The 2018 edition of the All Star Slam sees … Continued
A chance to watch some of the best in the business throw down on the big stage at Rio Theatre!
![[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")
“Awesome day! My students were so pumped and spoke about it for days afterwards.” – Lorisse Humphries, Chilliwack Middle School The always popular Hullabaloo All Star Slam at the Rio Theatre returns this year, featuring a battle between Canadian spoken word all stars! The 2018 edition of the All Star Slam sees … Continued
All 16 teams throw down in the first of two rounds of competition to determine who goes to Hullabaloo Finals!
![[ID: A scoreboard reading 9.9 sits on the lap of a judge/ end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Judgie-Wudgie-360x360-1.jpg "Judgie-Wudgie-360×360")
The preliminary rounds erupt, with all 16 teams competing in four heats of four! Location: Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye rooms (downstairs from the main concourse). Doors: 6:00 PM Start: Bouts 1 & 2 6:30 PM Bouts 3 & 4 8:30 PM End: 10:00 PM Every team in Hullabaloo will perform in … Continued
![[ID: Poets sit in a circle around Dana ID Mathews in the middle sitting with his legs stretched out. Some are on chairs, most are on the floor. They are either writing, reading, or listening. There are piles of coats on the floor and on the stacked chairs in the background/end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Adventures-360x360-1.jpg "Adventures-360×360")
The land of poetry spreads far and wide: you could spend days traveling from Metaphor to Extended Metaphor. And that’s before you even reach Rhyme and Alliteration! Poets have spent years investigating the nooks and crannies of these regions and beyond. Have you been to the magical land of improvisation? Or explored … Continued
A journey into both the charted and uncharted territories of Poetryland under the guidance of festival artists Moe Clark, Molly Billows, Zoey Pricelys Roy, and Erin Dingle.
All 16 teams throw down in the second of two rounds of competition to determine who goes to Hullabaloo Finals!
![[ID: A person raises a scorecard with an 8.4 score. In the background are other audience members and a person holding a 9.1/end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Jedgie-Wedgie-360x360-1.jpg "Jedgie-Wedgie-360×360")
The second slate of prelims kicks off, with all 16 teams competing for the second time in less than 24 hours! Following Round 1 of preliminary competitions on Friday night, some teams are still in it to win it and some teams are going out with a bang, so Round 2 is bound to be mind-blowing! … Continued
Following a set by festival artist Moe Clark, the four top-ranked teams in the tournament lovingly battle it out for the fabled Billy Sharkspeare Trophy!
![[ID: Moe Clark sits laughing into the camera. She is wearing a camisole style top and a cameo necklace/end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/6MoeClark_NoraNathoo2_IMG_88081.jpg "6MoeClark_NoraNathoo2_IMG_88081")
The 8th annual HULLABALOO FINALS NIGHT will determine which school has the best poetic chops in all of British Columbia. Moe Clark 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 other … Continued
A literary afternoon delight! Music and words from many of the artists performing throughout the festival, including a selection of Hullabaloo performers featured from our youth events. Bear witness to festival highlights as we celebrate their creative minds in one shared space, where participating artists and organizers, established and up-and-coming, … Continued
![[ID: Buffy Sainte-Marie sings into a microphone on a stand in front of her. Her eyes are closed. Her right hand is raised. She is wearing a breastplate with an unbuttoned black vintage brass-buttoned jacket. She has a turquoise ring on each finger of her left hand. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/BSMphoto1.jpg "BSMphoto1")
Call resistance an act of love, name activism as belief in restoration, trust as resilience, music as medicine; there is alchemy in the work of Buffy Sainte-Marie. Utilizing a generous body of work spanning half a century, Buffy Sainte-Marie reminds us that the truest wealth we can accumulate is in … Continued
![[ID: Moe Clark is crouched in front of a stone wall painted turquoise. Her right hand is on a large hand drum. She is smiling, her face turned to the right. She is wearing a dark grey cardigan and red pants. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Moe-Clark-reduced-360x360-1.jpg)
"Spoken word performance and looping pedal workshop exploring body and voice as landscape. Add new dimension to your spoken word poetry and written works. Combine your poetry with sounds, songs, and performance tools to create works that are stage-worthy and audience approved. Moe Clark will take you on a journey … Continued
![[ID: Group photo of 11 members of Thursdays Writing Collective on stage together. They are all smiling. Two members are crouched at the front of the group for the photo. A red Verses banner is in the background. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Thursdays-Writing-Collective.jpg "Thursdays Writing Collective")
Thursdays Writing Collective has been writing together at the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings for 10 years. Over that last decade, TWC members have met to share the acts and products of writing, improve their writing skills and make connections within Vancouver’s literary community. "TWC includes writers identifying as Indigenous, … Continued
![[ID: Christopher Michael is standing on stage speaking into a microphone on a stand in front of him. He is bearded. His eyes are closed behind glasses and his eyebrows are raised. His left arm is stretched toward audience palm up at a 45 degree angle with his right hand indicating the inside of his left elbow. He is wearing a black t-shirt with a black vest over it and jeans. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Christopher-Michael.jpg "Christopher Michael")
Celebrate the 22nd annual Van Slam Finals Night with visiting feature Christopher Michael. Vancouver's top nine slam poets of the season compete for a spot on this years team to represent Van Slam at major tournaments and festivals across North America. Poets gain points by ranking in the top four … Continued
![[ID: JB the First Lady stands with the seashore, water, a bridge, and Vancouver skyline behind her. She wears a light pink shirt. Her right hand is touching the back of her head behind her right ear. Her hair is braided. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/received_10155987269191368-e1522111500408.jpg "received_10155987269191368")
Utilizing a unique creative writing process developed by the writer, hip hop artist, activist, and performer, JB leads workshop participants through activity and writing, exploring themes of remembering and belonging. Working together over an hour and a half long session, participants will create a community poem and in creating a … Continued
![[ID: Q in black lipstick, a grey crop top, and underwear seated in their manual wheelchair, holding their knees to their chest as they look out a window; a bicycle wheel tattoo is partially visible on their shoulder blade, and a hand of fate holding a dandelion puff as the seeds disperse tattoo is on their thigh /end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/29425970_2040557059499602_2120453163948441600_o-e1522114254147-scaled.jpg "29425970_2040557059499602_2120453163948441600_o")
"Lame, crippling, retard/ed, gimp, moron, spaz, handicap/ped, handicapable, differently abled, diffability, special needs, deaf/blind to, hearing impaired, invalid, wheelchair bound - From slurs to euphemisms to the way we describe our experiences, ableist language is in the very roots of our speech. Language translates to beliefs, beliefs translate to actions, … Continued
![[ID: Image of a partial moon face. The bottom of the moon is reflected at the bottom of the image. The moon is set against an off white background. The words "The Witching Hour" "Verses Festival of Words" " Joelle Barron // Ellie Sawatzky // Alessandra Naccarato" and " w/ special guests, tarot readings and ask baba yaga" overlaid on the moon image in black and blue font. /end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/29746763_10155924694531140_605647739_o-1-2-e1522352152926.png "29746763_10155924694531140_605647739_o (1)")
Triple book launch with Joelle Barron, Ellie Sawatzky, Alessandra Naccarato & special guests. Join us for the launch of three new poetry collections that blur the line between the magic and the mundane: Highly Sensitive Femme by Alessandra Naccarato (Frog Hollow Press), Rhinocerotic by Ellie Sawatzky (Frog Hollow Press), and Ritual Lights … Continued
![[ID: Many people in audience of Sounds Like Fire 2017, smiling and laughing. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/sounds-like-fire.jpg "sounds like fire")
Rich with voices of the past, present, and future, a powerhouse lineup of literary and lyrical titans guide us on a journey through poetic language, experience, story, and song including songwriter and composer Edzi’u, storyteller, poet, and academic Joshua Whitehead, and innovative multimedia artist Janet Rogers. Doors 8:15 pm / Showcase … Continued
![[ID: A row of paper bags with Verses logo screenprinted in pink are lined up along a table. The corner of a stack of red tshirts is on the table at the left bottom edge of the photo. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Masse-Mensch-Material-360x360-1.jpg "Masse Mensch Material")
CIPS Orientation will take place on Wednesday, April 25th, from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM at Wise Hall. (Bouts will run on Thursday, April 26th and Friday, April 27th at Cafe Deux Soleils and Havana Theatre.) THIS EVENT IS FOR MEMBERS OF THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE AND COMPETING CIPS POETS ONLY … Continued
![[ID: Kitty Stryker sits on a round orange and yellow ottoman chair. Her feet are tucked to one side. The image is at a tilt and is washed in yellow. Kitty wears a dark plaid skirt, black stockings, Mary-Jane shoes, and a yellow v-necked button up cardigan over a flowered shirt. Her hair is orange. She wears glasses. Her mouth is pursed. Her head is tilted and her eyes are looking to one side. To her right there is an orange gumball machine. Above her on a shelf on the yellow wall behind her, there is a bag of gumballs. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/apekitty-6467.jpg "apekitty-6467")
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
![[ID: Photograph of Vancouver Story Slam organizer and host Susan Cormier standing on stage behind a microphone. She holds a clipboard in her right hand with a Vancouver Story Slam label while gesturing with her left hand. She has bright blue and red nail polish. She is wearing a red dress. Her long hair is clipped back at the top. An insert of the Verses Festival of Words poster is at the bottom left with an array of stylized red salmon, arrows and dots moving from right to left across a blue background. It includes the words Eighth Annual Verses Festival of Words April 19 - 29, 2018. /end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Story-Slam-Susan-Verses-smaller-scaled.jpg "Story Slam Susan + Verses smaller")
A special invitational edition of the Vancouver Story Slam storytelling show just for Verses Festival of Words! Ten storytellers share original short stories in a competition for cash and prizes. 50 audience members will receive voting ballots to select the night's winning storytellers. Vancouver Story Slam is Canada's longest-running live … Continued
![[ID: A close-up of a well-worn wooden electric guitar with SRV initials on it being played by a person's hands with large gold circular rings on the ring fingers. Tha person a black embroidered with white shirt. /end ID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/29497458_1644736835580296_4615277344578433774_n.jpg "29497458_1644736835580296_4615277344578433774_n")
Mashed Poetics is a night of Spoken Word and Music mash up. Mashed Poetics has been a part of the Verses Festival of Words since its inception and is happy to be a part of the 2018 edition. This year, Mashed Poetics is bringing the blues-rock storm of Couldn't Stand … Continued
![[ID: A graphic with the word Talk repeated in different sizes and colours filling the space of the image. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/TalktheTalk1.jpg "TalktheTalk")
Guided by two qualified facilitators, Kitty Stryker and Rabbit Richards, this talk is likely to engage with a number of topics that challenge, advance and re-form our collective ideas of consent culture within the arts. Come prepared with questions, thoughts and a respectful voice. Active listeners will be present for … Continued
![[ID: Cedar strips woven to create a square in the middle framing the Reframing Relations logo. The logo is a purple and turquoise design. The words Reframing Relations are below the image. /endID]](https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/media/Reframing-Relations-Images_Page_1-scaled.jpg "Reframing Relations Images_Page_1")
Reframing Relations brings Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists together ... to facilitate dialogue about reconciliation in Canada. Participants work together on collaborative, arts-based ‘Statements of Understanding’ to discover where their awareness of Indigenous issues is located today, where they have gaps in their knowledge, and what concrete actions can be taken … Continued
Canada’s best slam poets sling metaphors and match wits in four-minute and one-minute rounds. These Day One bouts at Havana Theatre are two of eight preliminary competitions that take place on Thursday and Friday nights here and at Cafe Deux Soleils during Verses Festival. The scores from these eight bouts determine the … Continued