On Friday, September 12, 2008 the Edmonton Poetry Festival presents Insomnicidal Kleptomania: An Evening of Experimental Verse and Sound Poetry. It takes place at the ARTery: 9535 Jasper Avenue, doors at 6:30 show at 7:00. Featured readers include sound poetry guru Doug Barbour and the inimitable presence that is Christian Bök. Locals Nico Rogers, Joel Katelnikoff, Christine Stewart, Jeff Carpenter, Michael Gravel, and Glenn Robson & Tonguebath round out the lineup.

“It’s going to be a night of off-the-wall poetry that really goes to the edge,” says primo organizer Jeffrey Carpenter. “There’ll be a wedding cake with no wedding, a crocodile with no teeth, and a billboard with no legs. Like I say, it’ll be out there.” When asked about the nature of the dark art of sound poetry, Carpenter kind of scratches his head. “You have to hear it to understand it. You have to meet the artist halfway. It’s all about rhythm, repetition, and building a piece with sound.” Christian Bök and Doug Barbour will undoubtedly kick out great examples of this fascinating field of poetic endeavour.

The night will also feature concrete verse that is nonetheless on the experimental side. Christine Stewart promises some lyrical high-wire, and Mike Gravel (that’s me!) has a few tricks up his sleeve. If you’re down for some edgy, off-the-map poetic craziness, check out the Edmonton Poetry Festival’s presentation of Insomnicidal Kleptomania – Friday September 12, 2008 at The ARTery, 9535 Jasper Avenue, 7:00pm. There’ll be a cash bar and admission is free as long as you’re carrying a platypus. Otherwise, admission is free. As always, check the PoFest schedule for a complete list of events.