Events Schedule

WORD*LAB
Featuring: Bänoo Zan
Plus open mic!

When: December 15th, 2022 at 7:30pm
Where: CO*LAB – 9641 102A Ave NW, Edmonton

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

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

Bänoo Zan is a poet, librettist, translator, teacher, editor and poetry curator, with more than 250 published poems and poetry-related pieces as well as three books including Songs of Exile and Letters to My Father. She is the founder of Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night), Canada’s most diverse poetry reading and open mic series (inception: 2012), a brave space that bridges the gap between communities of poets from different ethnicities, nationalities, religions (or lack thereof), ages, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, poetic styles, voices and visions. Bänoo is the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Alberta, Canada, Sept 2022-May 2023.

Social media links

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Books

• Songs of Exile
• Letters to My Father

Venue

CO*LAB

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

WORD*LAB
Featuring: Chris Hutchinson
Plus open mic!

When: November 24th, 2022 at 7:30pm
Where: CO*LAB – 9641 102A Ave NW, Edmonton

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

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

Chris Hutchinson is the author of five books, including the cult-classic speculative autobiography-in-verse novel Jonas in Frames (Goose Lane Editions) and his most recent poetry collection, In the Vicinity of Riches (icehouse poetry, 2020).

Visit Chris’s website to buy his books.

Venue

CO*LAB

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

WORD*LAB
Featuring: Some Sum
Plus open mic!

When: October 13th, 2022 at 7:30pm
Where: CO*LAB – 9641 102A Ave NW, Edmonton

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

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

‘Sum’ started writing at the age of 16 & began to freestyle whilst living on the streets of Edmonton at age 17. His submersion into hip-hop culture supported the foundation of his ability to freestyle & eventually song write & experiment with lyricism. This enthusiastic devotion for ‘word smithing’ as an art form, has successfully cultivated an adept ability to express with purpose, passion & power for intentionally conscious, culture informed entertainment. His work covers decolonization, original people’s spirituality, the relationship between personal self & the world around us.

Venue

CO*LAB

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

WORD*LAB
Featuring: Laurie MacFayden
Plus open mic!

When: September 15th 2022 at 7:30pm
Where: CO*LAB – 9641 102A Ave NW, Edmonton

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

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

Venue

CO*LAB

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

Come to Audreys Books for local OPEN MIC experiences. Signup will open 30 minutes prior to event start time. Readers will have 5 mins to read their work. Try something new or hone your reading performance skills. Hosted by Grayson Thate.

Authors & Presenters

Grayson Thate

Venue

Audreys Books

10702 Jasper Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 3J5 Canada

Close out the Edmonton Poetry Festival 2022 in great fashion with our EPF Poetry Party feat. Rayanne Haines, V. Guzman, Mad John and Tzadeka & Murder Hornettes.

Authors & Presenters

Mad John     Rayanne Haines     Tzadeka and the Murder Hornettes     V. Guzman

Venue

Latitude 53

10248 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J2 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.

Authors & Presenters

Alexis Kienlen     Anna Marie Sewell     Jennifer Bowering Delisle     Kelly Shepherd     Kim Mannix     Marco Melfi

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.

Authors & Presenters

Emily Riddle     Rayanne Haines     Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike

Venue

Strathcona County Library

410 Festival Lane
Sherwood Park, AB T8A 5P7 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 One of Inclement Weather – the Workshop. Join visual artist Hannah Gelderman and poets Alice Major and Kim Mannix for a two-hour workshop that explores our fears around the climate crisis, and what art can do to offer hope for the future. Attendees will have a chance to get creative with zine making, collage, drawing, writing and found/blackout poetry. Materials provided. Capacity is limited. Advanced registration required.

Hosted by Hannah Gelderman.

Authors & Presenters

Alice Major     Hannah Gelderman     Kim Mannix

Venue

Latitude 53

10248 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J2 Canada

Hosted by Marco Melfi, Lost Launch features local poets who had a collection published during the pandemic. Hear Catherine Owen and Paul Pearson read from their most recent works, with YouthWrite’s Spoken Word Choir performing original works of spoken word poetry to close the night. Event takes place in Community Rooms 1 & 2.

Authors & Presenters

Catherine Owen     Marco Melfi     Paul Pearson     Spoken Word Choir

Venue

Stanley Milner Library

7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 Canada

Hosted by Katherine Gibson, Lost Launch features local poets who had a collection published during the pandemic. Lisa Martin and Jason Purcell read from their most recent works. Event takes place in Community Rooms 1 & 2.

Authors & Presenters

Dwennimmen     Jason Purcell     Lisa Martin

Venue

Stanley Milner Library

7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 Canada

Poetry Central is your chance for a lunch-time poetry meet up. Hear from Peter Midgley and Jenna Butler reading from their most recent works. Hosted by Alice Major. Event takes place in Community Rooms 1 & 2.

Authors & Presenters

Alice Major     Jenna Butler     Peter Midgley

Venue

Stanley Milner Library

7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 Canada

Join Edmonton’s Poet Laureate Titilope for an intensive masterclass.

Bring me your life rafts, a song in the storm, a word like an oasis in the desert. What keeps your heart soft and sends the blood rushing to your cheeks? Let’s build a cathedral of tenderness here, a place to name what was lost and honour what refuses to die. In this masterclass we are digging through the rubble and pulling into the light poems that keep our hearts soft. In a series of writing, reading and listening exercises, we will explore how art can offer refuge and peace in tumultuous times.

Hosted by Grayson Thate.

Authors & Presenters

Grayson Thate     Titilope Sonuga

Venue

Latitude 53

10248 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J2 Canada

The Sublime Feminine is an event hosted by Sublime Intervention Collective to honour and celebrate local, influential, feminine identifying people. This night will feature poetry readings, musical performances, live visual art and more! There will also be a silent auction at the event to fundraise for S.I.C’s future events and endeavours. The items in the silent auction have and will be curated from local female owned businesses. S.I.C hopes to uphold a safe and welcoming environment to amplify the voices and stories of all the local sublime feminine creatives.

Authors & Presenters

Dwennimmen     Sublime Intervention Collective

Venue

The Aviary

9314 111 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5G 0A3 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.

Authors & Presenters

Indigenous Poets Society     Norma Dunning

Venue

The Aviary

9314 111 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5G 0A3 Canada

Norma Dunning, Governor General’s Literay Award winner and Writer in Residence for the Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries, hosts the Near Dead Poets Society. The Near Dead Poets Society is a made up of Edmontonians 45 years and older who meet weekly to read and share their writing.

Authors & Presenters

Norma Dunning

Venue

Stanley Milner Library

7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 Canada

Poetry Central is your chance for a lunch-time poetry meet up. Hear from Shazia Hafiz Ramji and Matthew James Weigel reading from their most recent works. Hosted by Alice Major.

Authors & Presenters

Alice Major     Matthew James Weigel     Shazia Hafiz Ramji

Venue

Latitude 53

10248 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J2 Canada

Speaking from Experience is a local collective that creates stories from the melding of poetry and music featuring local poet Some Sum on the microphone. Hosted by Dwennimmen.

Authors & Presenters

Dwennimmen     Some-Sum

Venue

The Aviary

9314 111 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5G 0A3 Canada

Poetry Central is your chance for a lunch-time poetry meet up. Hear from two of Edmonton’s most accomplished poets Alice Major and Marilyn Dumont. Event takes place in Community Rooms 1 & 2.

Authors & Presenters

Alice Major     Dwennimmen     Marilyn Dumont

Venue

Stanley Milner Library

7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 Canada

Join Poets for Ukraine Chapbook contributions reading. There will also be an open mic and music by Roylin Picou. Proceeds from the chapbook will be donated to the Second Front Ukrainian Foundation.

Authors & Presenters

Poets for Ukraine     Roylin Picou

Venue

Yianni's Taverna Kasbar (Downstairs)

10444 82 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 2A2 Canada

Join the Edmonton Poetry Festival and New Music Edmonton for Sonic Confluence Collective: Sounds Like Words Like Sounds on Sunday, December 19, 2021 @ 3:00PM online or in person @ Co*Lab (9641 102A Ave NW).

Tickets are $20 for in-person or $15 for live stream access.

Sonic Confluence Collective: Sounds Like Words Like Sounds brings together 3 artists each from the spoken word and sound worlds who have combined their talents to create a joint performance.

The artists include:

• Maigan Van der Geissen
• Ryan James Summers aka Some Sum Cay De Dios
• Afarin Nazarijou
• Louis Bouchier
• Biboye Onanuga

This is the first-ever collaborative project between the Edmonton Poetry Festival and New Music Edmonton. Three spoken word and three sound artists are coming together to create a collective performance. The collaboration highlights the magic of mixing or mashing genres to create a unique sonic experience.

The Edmonton Poetry Festival thanks Canadian Heritage Grant for funding support towards this project. New Music Edmonton thanks our funders: The Edmonton Arts Council, The Canada Council for the Arts, The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, SOCAN Foundation, The City of Edmonton, and AGLC.

Venue

CO*LAB

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

In collaboration with the Edmonton Poetry Festival, LitFest presents an evening of poetry performance from two major forces of leadership and innovation in Canadian performance poetry, Nisha Patel – author of COCONUT, and Jillian Christmas – author of The Gospel of Breaking.

Venue

Online

In collaboration with the Edmonton Poetry Festival, LitFest is thrilled to present an evening of poetry readings with leaders in Edmonton’s poetry community, hosted by the Edmonton Poetry Festival’s artistic producer, Shima Robinson aka Dwennimmen.

For the health and safety of our community and staff, LitFest will be following City of Edmonton bylaws and Government of Alberta COVID-19 requirements for all in-person events.

Proof of vaccination, documentation of a medical exemption, or proof of a privately-paid negative PCR or rapid test within 72 hours of the event will be required for every person (aged 12+) attending in-person LitFest events.

Attendees (aged 12+) must be fully vaccinated 14 days prior to attending an in-person event. Venue staff will accept electronic or paper records at entry points, which can include paper and electronic records from your clinic or pharmacy showing your name and date of vaccination. Records can also be printed or accessed through the MyHealth Records website or app.

Please be prepared to show proof of vaccination each time you come to an in-person LitFest event. No health record information will be scanned, stored, or shared. Thank you for your cooperation!

Please note: In the event that an in-person gathering is not possible, the event will be moved to an online format. Registrants will receive email notice and information at the earliest possible opportunity should this occur.

Venue

Latitude 53

10248 106 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J2 Canada

A one-on-one conversation with author Amanda Leduc (Disfigured: On Fairy Stories, Disability, and Making Space) and poet Brandon Wint (Divine Animal).

Venue

Online