The Edmonton Poetry Festival gets underway this evening with Revenge of the Killer Blinks at The ARTery, 9535 Jasper Avenue, 7:00pm shotgun start. You’ll see and hear 70 poets read in succession for 30 seconds each (here’s the reader roster and schedule). Will there be any surprises? Will some adventurous poet simply stand in silence for their 30 seconds? Maybe two sentences framing 20 seconds of silence? Perhaps someone will cram the final verses of Fern Hill (Dylan Thomas) and Transient (Al Purdy) into an almost indecipherable 30-second mashup. There might be a few duets. Come on down and find out – witness for yourself this Edmonton-invented style of poetry reading. There’ll be a potluck-style array of munchies available and the fellowshipping is sure to be excellent. It should be a grand kickoff to the “Word Party in Downtown E-Town”. Thanks to Edmonton’s Stroll of Poets Society for their support and continued involvement in the EPF.

See you tonight!