Peter Midgley hosts the posthumous online launch of Walking Into God by E.D. (Ted) Blodgett, Edmonton’s second poet laureate. Walking Into God is the culmination of Blodgett’s lifelong devotion to a poetry and poetics of the sacred. Friends and family will read from Walking Into God as well as excerpts from his past work.

When: April 21st at 4pm – 5pm
Where: Online via Zoom

Host: Peter Midgley

Readers: Susan McCaslin, Dr. Manijeh Mannani

Authors & Presenters

E.D. Blodgett     Peter Midgley

Venue

Online

WORD*LAB
Guest TBA
Plus open mic!

When: August 17th, 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

Venue

CO*LAB

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

WORD*LAB
Guest TBA
Plus open mic!

When: July 13th, 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

Venue

CO*LAB

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

WORD*LAB
Guest TBA
Plus open mic!

When: June 15th, 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

Venue

CO*LAB

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

WORD*LAB
YEG Youth Takeover Poetry Night
Plus open mic!

When: May 18th, 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

Venue

CO*LAB

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

Please join Alice Major as she celebrates the launch of her newest poetry collection, Knife on Snow.

About Knife on Snow

What portents must you divine when a knife falls from the sky into your snow-covered yard? With Knife on Snow, Alice Major employs history, myth, and science to understand a world ablaze.

From the bitumen hills of Fort McMurray to the barren reaches of Iceland, Knife on Snow depicts an earth bathed in dragon’s breath, where we stand transfixed by the consequences of our actions, “both driver /and passenger—part-cause / part- witness of earth’s unwinding.” Yet in Alice Major’s expert hands this unwinding yields an evolution, a discovery, an acceptance of struggles’ end and the possibility of a tomorrow unknown.

About Alice Major

Alice Major has published twelve collections of poetry, two novels for young adults and an award-winning collection of essays about poetry and science. A long time advocate for the arts, Alice is the founder of the Edmonton Poetry Festival and was that city’s first poet laureate. In 2019, she received an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Alberta. She has given hundreds of readings across Canada as well as in the UK, Australia and the U.S., and has received multiple awards for her writing, including the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award. Knife on Snow is her newest collection.

Venue

Audreys Books

10702 Jasper Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 3J5 Canada

It’s time for local and emerging poets and spoken word artists to share their work!

Come read a poem or two at for this year’s penultimate event on Sunday, April 30th from 12:00pm to 2:00pm @ Audreys Books (10702 Jasper Ave). Readers will have 5 mins to read their work. Try something new or hone your reading performance skills!

Sign up by Saturday, April 15th. Click here to sign up as a reader.

Once you have registered, we’ll follow up to confirm your participation and provide reader guidelines for the event.

Host: Emma Elder

Pay-what-you-can
Suggested donation $10

Venue

Audreys Books

10702 Jasper Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 3J5 Canada

Join us for another fabulous Poetry Party! We will hear from four poets who graced our stages throughout the festival this year. Expect big energy, big feelings, and big fun!

Readings from Meghan Eaker, Bänoo Zan, RC Weslowski, and Charlee Queen XO.

Pay-what-you-can
Suggested donation $10

Venue

CO*LAB

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

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

Poésie à Haute Voix est une invitation pour les Francophones, ceux qui parlent Franglais et ceux qui ont le courage de dépoussiérer leur français et de se renouer avec leur amour pour la langue française. Rassemblons-nous à travers un atelier d’écriture et un micro ouvert. Animé par Medgine Mathurin.

Poésie à Haute Voix is an invitation for Francophones, those who speak Frenglish and those brave enough to dust their French off the shelf and reconnect to their love for the French language. Let us gather through writing workshop and open mic. Hosted by Medgine Mathurin.

$15 Advance Registration
$20 at the door

Venue

CO*LAB

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

Participants in this workshop will be invited to challenge dominant discourses about poetry, identity, community, and activism. They will be invited to approach writing form a more global perspective and to consider its impact on the world. They will be given strategies to write for a global audience.

Facilitator: Bänoo Zan

$15 Advance Registration
$20 at the door

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

This hybrid poetry reading event will feature readings from UAlberta Press’ newest collections: Monitoring Station by Sonja Ruth Greckol, Indie Rock by Joe Bishop, and there’s more by Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike.

Co-presented by Edmonton Poetry Festival and University of Alberta Press.

This is a hybrid event. There will be a physical gathering in Henderson Hall and there will also be the opportunity to join via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out the day before the event and again one hour before the start.

University of Alberta
Rutherford Library South
Room 1-16

Venue

Rutherford Library South

University of Alberta, 11208 89 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T6G 2J8 Canada

Three poets who are also parents discuss the ramifications, challenges and joys of being parenting poets.

Child minding will be provided by EPFS for up to 8 children between the ages of 6 and 11 during the event. Please arrive 15 minutes early to access this service.

Host: Kim Mannix

Pay-what-you-can
Suggested donation $10

Venue

CO*LAB

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

Charlee Queen XO will be your feature poet with accompaniment from Reclaim Collective, a 5-piece group comprised of some of Edmonton’s finest jazz musicians. Local poet, Yusi, will kick off this night of music and poetry with a performance set of her original work.

Host: Shima Robinson

Pay-what-you-can
Suggested donation $10

Venue

CO*LAB

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

This exciting night of poetry will feature readings from the Edmonton Poet Laureate – Titilope Sonuga, the St. Albert Poet Laureate – Lauren Seal, and members of a local youth poets collective called Ink Movement.

Hosted by 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: Luciana Erregue-Sacchi
Plus open mic!

When: April 20th, 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

Luciana Erregue-Sacchi is an Argentinian-Canadian art historian, writer, translator, mentor, and independent publisher. In 2022, her imprint Laberinto Press won the BPAA Emerging Publisher of the Year Award. Luciana’s work has been published in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. She was longlisted for the Susan Crean Award for Nonfiction in 2022. Luciana is a Banff Centre Literary Arts Alumnus. Luciana writes mostly in Spanish and English at the intersection of art and life.

Venue

CO*LAB

9641 102A Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5H 0G3 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

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