If you’re on Facebook, you should be visiting our page and “liking” us. Visit us on Facebook. There you will find all kinds of cool stuff, including amazing photos of all the festival’s events courtesy of Edmonton photographer Randall Edwards. We’re the coolest looking bunch on the block.

In case you didn’t know, The Festival has a new Executive Director, Rayanne Doucet. She’ll be reading in the cafe series on Sunday, and guess what? It’ll be her first public poetry performance! Read her guest post on Reading Out Loud, and swing by to hear her read. I’ve heard her read a bit and despite her trepidation, she’s pretty damn good.

And now for today’s offerings:

  1. Workshops with Bob Holman. 9:30am-4:30pm, Milner Library. Important note: Payment is required to participate in this workshop $25-$60. Wow, Mr Holman is one busy guy. He swings into town and we immediately put him to work. Hosting readings and screenings, facilitating workshops. The guy’s got it going on. Payment is required to participate in these workshops.
  2. Free Range Poetry. Noon, Edmonton City Hall, Churchill Square. Edmonton’s current poet laureate Anna Marie Sewell puts together a clutch of Edmonton poets for market visitors to savour. When you’re picking up your lettuce or root vegetables, say hello to our fearless poets who will serenade you with their lovely words.
  3. I Eat My Poems With Honey, A Celebration of Bees and Honey. 1:00pm – 2:30pm, L’Espresso Cafe, 3 Sir Winston Churchill Square. Bet you thought you’d never see a poetry reading combined with a honey tasting, am I right? Savour an afternoon filled with buzz, sting, and sweetness as local poets team up with the bees to bring you a unique combination of poetry reading and honey tasting. Dandelion, raspberry, and sunflower honeys are just a few of the samples provided. This is sure to be a unique event.
  4. Poetry And Music for a Spring Afternoon. 3:00pm – 5:00pm, The Artery, 9535 – Jasper Avenue. Spring is that season when we cross to the sunny side of the ecliptic. It’s a season for changes – hot and cool, high flights and mud, departures and returns. Join us for an afternoon of mood swings and swinging music with poets John Steffler, Nora Gould, Shelley Leedahl, and local poet/songwriter Lyra Brown.
  5. Words on the Line: The Poetry Party. 8:00pm, The Artery, 9535 Jasper Avenue. $10.00 admission, which can be exchanged for a year-long membership in the Edmonton Poetry Festival Society. This is the festival’s marquee event, featuring The Raving Poets Band and guests, Dionne Brand, and Mr Bob Holman. There’ll be a few other surprises thrown in there as well, so be prepared to have you windows shaken and your walls rattled. Remember, it’s $10 to get in.

A ton of cool stuff awaits you today! Now go away from your window, leave at your own chosen speed. Enjoy this spring day filled with verse and language and love.