Food for Thought is a catered event that is all about sparking your interest in local magazines that have published poetry. Take this opportunity to experience some of the poetry that has been published in The Polyglot, Funicular, and Hungry Zine. The editors of each magazine will be sharing a few words about their publication. Read on for information on each of the poets and magazines.

Host: Shima Robinson

Pay-what-you-can
Suggested donatuion $10

About Hungry Zine
Hungry Zine is an Edmonton-based, community-focused zine centering radical food stories, art and culture. Hungry centres voices that are missing from traditional food media. They are a space for sharing stories, art and building community around food.

About The Polyglot
Founded in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) in 2016, The Polyglot is a biannual online magazine devoted to publishing multilingual poetry and art. In their first ten issues, they have published 188 writers and artists working in 51 languages. In 2021, they were named Alberta’s Best New Magazine.

About Funicular
Funicular Magazine publishes poetry and prose by new and emerging writers from Edmonton, across Canada, and around the world.

Venue

CO*LAB

9641 102A Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5H 0G3 Canada

The Edmonton Indigenous Poets Society is returning for EPF 2023! This is a showcase of Indigenous Voices in amiskwaciy-wäskhikan curated by the Edmonton Indigenous Poets Society. Featuring readings by Paige Cardinal, Stephanie Giroux, Robin Hunter, Dan Poitras, Chasidy, Carley Lizotte, and Ty Bruce.

Host: Some Sum

Pay-what-you-can
Suggested donation $10

Venue

CO*LAB

9641 102A Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5H 0G3 Canada

Join us for this EPF 2023 presentation of live readings from Meghan Eaker and Jane Munro.

Host: Shima Robinson

Pay-what-you-can
Suggested donation: $10

Venue

CO*LAB

9641 102A Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5H 0G3 Canada

Celebrate National Poetry Month with a delightful afternoon of poetry featuring Medgine Mathurin and Emily Riddle and hosted by Writer in Residence Tololwa Mollel. An open mic session for those who are interested in sharing their own work will be included. Co-presented with the Edmonton Poetry Festival.

Venue

Strathcona County Library

410 Festival Lane
Sherwood Park, AB T8A 5P7 Canada

WORD*LAB
Featuring: Emily Riddle
Plus open mic!

When: February 16th, 2023 at 7:30pm
Where: CO*LAB – 9641 102A Ave NW, Edmonton

Co-presented by:
Edmonton Poetry Festival and CO*LAB

Funded by:
Canadian Heritage

A monthly performance poetry experience
Pay-What-You-Can at the door
Suggested Payment $10

Emily Riddle is nehiyaw and a member of the Alexander First Nation in Treaty 6. She lives in amiskwaciwâskahikan. A writer, public library worker and researcher, she sits on the board of advisers for the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nations-led think tank. Emily was shortlisted for the 2020 CBC Poetry Prize and selected for the 2021 Writers’ Trust of Canada mentorship program. Her writing has been featured in Teen Vogue, The Globe and Mail, Malahat Review, Room Magazine, among others.

Venue

CO*LAB

9641 102A Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5H 0G3 Canada

Inclement Weather is a two-part event, including a workshop and reading, that highlights how poetry can spark conversation about climate change and our energy future that is sustainable and socially equitable.

This event is Part Two of Inclement Weather – the Readings. Join Edmonton poets Alexis Kienlen, Kelly Shepherd, Marco Melfi, Jennifer Bowering Delisle and Anna Marie Sewell read poetry that addresses the climate crisis, offering words of reflection, warning and hope. There will also be an open-mic portion, open to Inclement Weather – Workshop participants to share what they’ve worked on earlier.

Hosted by: Kim Mannix.

Venue

Latitude 53

10248 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J2 Canada

Hosted by Writer in Residence for the Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries, Rayane Haines. Featuring Emily Riddle and Uchechukwu Umezurike reading from their latest works.

Venue

Strathcona County Library

410 Festival Lane
Sherwood Park, AB T8A 5P7 Canada

Join the Indigenous Poets Society showcasing Indigenous poets sharing truths, making voices heard, and coming together to build community strength. Enjoy a showcase of readings and performances by members of the Edmonton Indigenous Poets Society. Hosted by Norma Dunning.

Venue

The Aviary

9314 111 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5G 0A3 Canada

Are you fascinated by poetry, languages, and art? Are you curious to witness Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization through creative self-expression? Then please join us for The Polyglot’s launch of our double issue—nimitêyaniy and nitêh. These issues were curated by Naomi McIlwraith and Dorothy Thunder, and feature 36 brilliant Indigenous poets and artists. This launch showcases sixteen of our contributors read their poems or talk about their art, weaving their insights on language, culture, and Indigenous identities. The Polyglot would like to acknowledge and deeply thank the Edmonton Arts Council for their support and funding of this project. A special mahsi cho to the Edmonton Poetry Festival for supporting us with this launch. The covers of the issues feature art by Lana Whiskeyjack (nimitêyaniy) and Jade Roberts (nitêh). The words of the issues correspond to tongue and heart in nêhiyawêwin (Cree).

Venue

Online

Jordan Abel is a multimedia artist with roots in exploring colonization through textual and poetic interpretation. His work encompasses multifaceted research and presents an intense, calculated and human look at the conditions of living in a colonial state. His works weave a technical mastery of elements and story, provoking us to think about how we read and what we’re reading. His new work, out soon, is again defiant of a single genre. Join us in this reading and Q and A, hosted by Matthew James Weigel.

Venue

Online

The youngest ever winner of the Griffin Prize, Billy-Ray Belcourt mines his personal history to reconcile the world he was born into with the world that could be in his debut memoir, A History of My Brief Body. With startling honesty, and in a voice distinctly and assuredly his own, Belcourt situates his life experiences within a constellation of seminal queer texts, among which this book is sure to earn its place.

Want to buy the book? Find it here.

Billy-Ray Belcourt (he/him) is a poet, author, and scholar from the Driftpile Cree Nation. He won the 2018 Griffin Poetry Prize for his debut collection, This Wound Is a World, which was also a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Belcourt is a recipient of the prestigious Rhodes scholarship and an Indspire Award, the highest honour the Indigenous community bestows on its leaders. He is currently working on his PhD at the University of Alberta and will join UBC’s Creative Writing Program as an Assistant Professor in Indigenous Creative Writing in January 2020.

Venue

Online

Three panelists with memoirs on incredible resilience, and finding your identity amid challenges of all kinds. Panelists include Helen Knott, David A. Robertson and Christa Couture.

Venue

Online

To kick off the festival in virtual space, the contributors to Beyond the Food Court —all writers from diverse ethnic backgrounds that call Edmonton home — gather to celebrate the launch of their anthology, along with editor and publisher Luciana Erregue.

Venue

Online

What does it mean to bring the word home? pê-kîwêhtatân itwêwin will posit this question to four talented indigenous poets, listening in on their musings as they showcase their work at the headlining event of the Edmonton Poetry Festival. Amiskwaciwâskahika (Edmonton) sits on Treaty 6 land. Treaty 6 was signed on August 23, 1876 and stretches from western Alberta, through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba; and includes 50 First Nations. Treaty 6 is a traditional gathering place for the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/ Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and many others. Their histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our art and culture communities. This event features nationally-renowned poets and local talent.

Venue

Theatre Lab (Allard Hall) @ MacEwan University

11110 104 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 4S2 Canada

The Indigenous Poets Society hosts a reading that casts a critical eye on Indigenous-Settler relations, celebrates our connection to land, explores Indigenous identity, uproots the source of community struggle, and finds hope within.

This is a BYOV event. Admission to this event (if applicable) is not included in a festival pass.

Performers

• Sage Giroux is a local poet living in Amiskwacîwâskahikan. Her inspiration for her poetry comes from her everyday experiences.
• K’alii Stewart is a Nisga’a organizer, poet, and ecology student from the Nass Valley in BC. This past year, K’alii was on the team representing Edmonton at the national spoken word competition CFSW, and is now the founder of the Edmonton Indigenous Poets Society.
• Nitsitapi (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ). Proudly from the Kainai Nation and residing in Amiskwacîwâskahikan, Beaver Hills House (Edmonton). English name is Candace and traditional given name is Áísínai’pi (It is pictured/written), Writing On Stone. An Educator, Artist, Advocate and Poet.
• Daniel Poitras is a halfbreed poet from Paul First Nation.
• Ty is passionate about rebuilding Indigenous identities and communities. He likes working, hunting, hiking, laughing, and creating art.
• Robin Hunter is a Nehiyaw Iskwew. She is from Saddle Lake First Nation but was born and raised in Edmonton. Robin is completing her first year in the Faculty of Native Studies. Her poetry comes from personal experiences about the justice system, personal tragedies and/or daily life.
• Albert Favel a.k.a Faves is a young Indigenous artist who has been working on his craft for the past 4-5 years through Hip-Hop and Poetry. Which he uses it as a outlet to speak passionately about the problems he’s faced growing up like homelessness, addiction, and oppression.
• Rachel Manichoose is Cree woman from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Alberta and she is a human rights advocate sharing her truths to help make change for our future generations. She uses her cultural teachings, lived experience and art to voice the many injustices and societal misconceptions many have developed through years of a colonial miseducation.

Venue

The Aviary

9314 111 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5G 0A3 Canada

Presented in partnership with Glass Buffalo Magazine.

Hear from emerging and talented poets as they share their work and discuss how they found and developed their poetic voices. Featured contributors to Glass Buffalo magazine include Scott Jackshaw, Austen Lee, and Sofia Parrila, who will be joined by special guest Billy-Ray Belcourt, author of This Wound is a World.

Venue

Audreys Books

10702 Jasper Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 3J5 Canada

Join us as we host an evening of celebration, honouring the work of Indigenous writers. Four of Canada’s leading Indigenous poets gather to share their voices and stories alongside students from the Poetry Moves Indigenous Youth Poetry Program and Métis artist Amy Malbeuf. Hosted by Norma Dunning.

• Jordan Abel: A Nisga’a writer from B.C., Jordan is the most recent winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize for his book, Injun.
• Billy-Ray Belcourt: From the Driftpile Cree Nation, Billy-Ray is a 2016 Rhodes scolar and a PhD student at the University of Alberta. His first book is This Wound is a World.
• Helen Knott: Helen’s first book, In My Own Moccasins Now, will be released by U of R Press in Spring 2019. She is of Dane Zaa, Nehiyaw, and Euro descent from Prophet River First Nations and a Masters in FN Studies student at UNBC.
• Norma Dunning: An Inuit writer, scholar, researcher, and grandmother, Norma’s first book is Annie Muktuk and Other Stories.

Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton) sits on Treaty 6 land. Treaty 6 was signed on August 23, 1876, and stretches from western Alberta, through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba, and includes 50 First Nations. Treaty 6 is a traditional gathering place for the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and many others. Their histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our art and cultural communities.

Venue

Allard Hall @ MacEwan University

11110 104 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 4S2 Canada

Prairie skies, the rocky rim of the Atlantic, the flatline of the Fraser River Delta, city skylines and the long view of the past – this is poetry that lets you see the skyline from somewhere new. Four prominent poets bring their particular viewpoints from across the country:

• Performance poet and slam champion Rebecca Thomas is Halifax’s poet laureate. She brings her M’ikmaq heritage and a vital young voice to the lookout point.
• Tim Bowling’s new book, The Duende of Tetherball, links his early experiences growing up in the rich landscapes of B.C.’s Lower Mainland with the challenges and pleasures of getting older.
• Edmonton’s poet laureate, Pierrette Requier, takes the long view of growing up Francophone in Alberta’s Peace River country and the interplay of languages that shape her life and writing.
• Local poet Laurie MacFayden’s poetry is described as fearless, charismatic and funny. After 30 years in journalism she is now a full time poet and visual artist.

Venue

The Almanac

10351 823 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 1Z9 Canada

Join us for Eskonahkwahk (“horizon” in Cree) – a celebration of the work of First Nations writers. As we look to the future, four of Canada’s leading indigenous poets gather to share their voices and stories.

Amiskwaciwâskahika (Edmonton) sits on Treaty 6 land. Treaty 6 was signed on August 23, 1876 and stretches from western Alberta, through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba; and includes 50 First Nations. Treaty 6 is a traditional gathering place for the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/ Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and many others. Their histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our art and culture communities.

• Liz Howard – The youngest winner in the history of the Griffin Awards, she took home the 2016 Griffin for poetry and is currently working in neurocognitive research.
• Rebecca Thomas – Halifax’s M’ikmaq poet laureate delivers melodic, witty and damning truths.
• Gregory Scofield – Métis poet Gregory’s work has been called “…urgent and emotional…”, inspired by calls to reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
• Marilyn Dumont – Weaves words with tradition and history to forge a connection with her Cree/Métis heritage.

This event is open to members of The Edmonton Poetry Festival and their guests. Memberships are available at the door.

Venue

Latitude 53

10248 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J2 Canada

What is the future of innovative poetry, and what role will our poetic practices play in shaping the future of culture and politics? In this panel discussion, hosted by Christine Stewart, four poets describe their own methods of poetic innovation, and the potential effects and interventions of these innovative poetries.

Douglas Barbour is Professor Emeritus, Department of English & Film Studies, University of Alberta. The University of Alberta Press published his latest book of poems, Listen. If. in Spring 2017. He was inducted into the Edmonton Cultural Hall of Fame in 2003.

Having grown up all over the world, Shane Book writes from a globalized position, employing a formally innovative practice that draws on weaponized techniques of the avant garde, language’s base atomic properties and cloud varieties of cultural production in the Western world and the African Diaspora.

Joel Katelnikoff works on Inhabitations: A Recombinant Theory Project. The project remixes the work of contemporary poets and theorists, using techniques conventionally associated with plagiarism and piracy in order to develop new collaborative methods of critical and poetic writing.

Gregory Scofield is one of Canada’s leading Indigenous writers whose collections of poetry have earned him both a national and international audience. He is known for his unique and dynamic reading style that blends oral storytelling, song, spoken word and the nêhiyaw language. His maternal ancestry can be traced back to the fur trade and to the Métis community of Kinosota, Manitoba, which was established in 1828 by the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Presented in partnership with the Canadian Literature Centre.

Venue

Old Arts Building @ University of Alberta

University of Alberta, 113 Street & 91 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3 Canada