The Edmonton Poetry Festival and Edmonton Transit have once again partnered up to bring poetry onto Edmonton city buses. During October and November 2011, Take The Poetry Route will feature selections in both Chinese and English – translations of classic pieces as well as contemporary work by local writers. Poets Helen Chan, Wei Wong, Crystal Chin, Jocelyne Verret and Pun Vai Sam contributed and/or translated the four pieces that will be showcased on the buses and LRT trains. Keep an eye out for them, and drop us a line to let us know what you think!

Thinking ever forward, the NEXT round of bus poetry is coming up and submissions are officially open until November 14! A brief rundown follows, and you should check the submission guidelines if you’re interested in flexing your poetic muscles and getting some work out there.

To coincide with the Alberta Winter Youth Games being held east of Edmonton in February 2012, the next batch of bus poetry will feature a Winter Activities theme.

We invite submissions from students in Edmonton-area schools, aged 8 to 18, that celebrate Winter Activities with poems about ice hockey, skating, skiing, sledding, ringette, the Olympics, building snow forts, making snow angels, or any other activity winter makes possible.

Four students whose work is chosen will have their poems displayed in city transit buses and LRT cars, as well as on the ETS website, in February and March 2012. They will also each receive a $50 gift card.

Please see the complete guidelines for more information and how to submit.