You know, we don’t JUST put together an annual festival. The Edmonton poetry Festival is active year-round with projects, programs, and special events. I thought I’d bring your attention to two of these special projects.

Poets in the Schools Program

The Edmonton Poetry Festival believes that poetry is central to learning language and literacy, and so we offer a school program to connect poets and students. You can learn all about the program here.

Words on Wheels: Bus Poetry Project

“The Poetry Route” is an Edmonton Poetry Festival project that puts poems into ETS buses and LRT trains. A new three-year Poetry Route cycle hits the road in mid-April, with the first batch of 2011 showcasing four outstanding writers from this year’s poetry festival: Tim Bowling and Jannie Edwards of Edmonton; Griffin Award-winner Karen Solie of Toronto; and world slam poetry champion Ian Keteku of Ottawa. Full details on the project are here.

I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for the bus poetry project. As a bus rider and a poet, it makes me happy to see poetry on public transportation.