Wax Poetic

Libby Davies Sounds Out Slam Poetry-Style

2011-04-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Our local NDP candidate Libby Davies does a pretty decent ode to East Vancouver and still manages to get the message across of how important voting is.
By the way, did anyone get any good pics or video of the flash mob at Brit yesterday? If so, feel free to drop me a line at srduncan@shaw.ca and let me know.

Special Event: George Bowering and Sasha Langford

2010-12-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Press Release
Thursday January 6th 2010
Features: George Bowering & Sasha Langford
1st and 3rd Thursday of every month
Pandora's Collective Presents
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Share in an evening of literary surprises while wrapped in a warm and encouraging environment. Connect, read and enjoy. In the spirit of Vancouver all are welcome.
Suggested Donation: $5.00 at the door.
January Features: George Bowering & Sasha Langford
Hosts: Bonnie Nish, Sita Carboni and Warren Dean Fulton.
Time: 7pm-10pm
Location: The Prophouse Cafe, 1636 Venables Street
Vancouver , BCContact: blinsh_pandoras@yahoo.ca
www.pandorascollective.com

George Bowering, Canada’s first Poet Laureate, was born in the Okanagan Valley .
After serving as an aerial photographer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Bowering earned a BA in English and an MA in History at the University of British Columbia, where he became one of the co-founders of the avant-garde poetry magazine TISH. He has taught literature at the University of Calgary , the University of Western Ontario and Simon Fraser University , and he continues to act as a Canadian literary ambassador at international conferences and readings.
A distinguished novelist, poet, editor, professor, historian and tireless supporter of fellow writers, Bowering has authored more than eighty books, including works of poetry, fiction, autobiography, biography and youth fiction. His writing has also been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese and Romanian. In 2002, Bowering was recognized by the Vancouver Sun as one of the most influential people in British Columbia .
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Sasha Langford was just 18 years old when she was one of five poets selected to represent Vancouver at the 2008 CBC Poetry Face-Off. Since then, she has served as a Canadian representative at the 2009 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Detroit , and recently won a coveted spot on the Vancouver Poetry Slam Team. A trained improviser and musician, Langford uses her passion for storytelling to offer moving and humorous character narratives by way of performance poetry.

Press Release
Thursday January 20th 2010
Features: Dennis E. Bolen and Soressa Gardner
1st and 3rd Thursday of every month
Pandora's Collective Presents
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Share in an evening of literary surprises while wrapped in a warm and encouraging environment. Connect, read and enjoy. In the spirit of Vancouver all are welcome.
Suggested Donation: $5.00 at the door.
January Features: Dennis E. Bolen and Soressa Gardner
Hosts: Bonnie Nish, Sita Carboni and Warren Dean Fulton.
Time: 7pm-10pm
Location: The Prophouse Cafe, 1636 Venables Street
Vancouver , BCContact: blinsh_pandoras@yahoo.ca
www.pandorascollective.com

Dennis E. Bolen is a novelist, editor, teacher and journalist, first published in 1975 (Canadian Fiction Magazine). He holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria (1977) and an MFA (Writing) from the University of British Columbia (1989), and taught introductory Creative Writing at UBC from 1995 to 1997.

In 1989 Mr. Bolen helped establish the international literary journal sub-TERRAIN, and served there as fiction editor for ten years. He has acted as a community editorial board member of The Vancouver Sun newspaper, and on the boards of a literacy advocacy organization, a literary collective and a theatre company and has written criticism, social commentary, arts advocacy and editorial opinion for numerous journals and newspapers in Canada .

Major Publications: Kaspoit!, novel, Anvil Press, Vancouver , 2009.
Toy Gun, novel, Anvil Press, Vancouver, 2005. Gas Tank and Other Stories, short fiction, Anvil Press, Vancouver, 1998.Krekshuns, novel, Random House, Toronto , 1997. Stand In Hell, novel, Random House, Toronto , 1995. Stupid Crimes (revised), novel, Vintage, Toronto , 1995. Stupid Crimes, novel, Anvil Press, Vancouver, 1992.

Soressa Gardner is a vocalist, improviser, songwriter and electronic music composer who strives to expose the soul of any given project. She holds a music degree and diploma in classical voice from Vancouver Community College . Her collaborations with writers seek out darkness and humour, and her improvisation skills and sense of movement bring ease and grace to her collaborations with dancers. Soressa’s collaborations with Canadian authors include Dennis E. Bolen and Evie Christie. In movement and voice, she has worked with Mascall Dance, Voxy Vocal Lab (with singers Kate Hammett-Vaughan and Carol Sawyer), Bugs Black Blood (under the direction of Coat Cooke) and others. Her compositions have been showcased at Video Inn’s Signal and Noise Festival, the Western Front, and on independent radio. She has studied with composer Peter Hannan, extended technique vocalists Richard Armstrong, Katherine Duncanson and DB Boyco, and classical vocalist Marisa
Gaetanne.
www.soressa.com
http://www.playhut.bandcamp.com
http://www.myspace.com/soressagardner
http://soressa.bandcamp.com
http://gyrebc.bandcamp.com/album/4-25-10

Bonnie Nish
Executive Director
Pandora's Collective
"Promoting The Arts That Inspire The World To Take Notice Of Itself"
www.pandorascollective.com

Craig Spence, President Fed. of BC Writers in Studio

2010-10-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Craig Spence current president of the Federation of BC Writers joins us in studio. He talks about different services and initiatives the Federation offers in the wake of massive BC Arts cuts. Currently, Craig is working on a fiction work called Stained Glass. In this work, a church in Barkerville, BC needs new stained glass windows, but cannot afford them. Things get hairy when the town's prostitutes offer to pay for the windows. For more information about Craig visit his website here.

Craig also offers a unique stance on art, suggesting that artist organizations should do more to partner with corporations, and not rely solely on the government. He states that there is a place for business-minded people in arts to help manage organizations better; where sometimes artists themselves aren't the best managers. In addition, our guest criticizes superficial festivals the BC government has substituted for long term support of artists.

More info about Federation about BC Writers here.

Click below to list to the show.

Poetry and Music with your hosts RC Weslowski & Mark Steinberg

2010-09-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today's show featured recordings:

Shauntay Grant is a writer, spoken word performer, broadcast journalist and musician. She is Halifax's third Poet Laureate (2009/10), and she has shared her blend of poetry and music internationally at festivals and events. Read more: http://www.myspace.com/shauntaygrant#ixzz12aTZtUif

Kevin Fortnum has been part of the Toronto poetry scene for close to five years. He has featured at most local series and currently runs his own, She Rusty Sleep, in Hamilton. He recently released his first novel, Defamation of a Scoundrel.

Colleen Costello has been involved in music her whole life, playing and recording for the public since 1996, and touring Canada since 1999. The primary focus being writing and recording original music, performing live and touring. In 2003 she branched out into adapting music for the theatre environment, especially Children’s Theatre, having a special affinity for writing catchy and melodic tunes. Promoting her latest CD led to designing music for soundtracks and TV placement requests.

Susan Cormier "is the Queen of Crows, a master of vivid and macabre poetry and performance. She pulls back the veil on violence, and the scars and bruises left when the darkness won’t stay inside."
~C.J. Leon, The East Vancouver Network of Love. Read more: http://www.myspace.com/queenofcrowsmusic#ixzz12aVHesPO

Lisa B (Lisa Baird^[1]) is a political spoken word poet based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Since 2001, she has performed spoken-word poetry at shows around B.C. and in Oregon. She describes herself as a queer woman and an incest and violence survivor.^[2]

Poetry and Music with host SR Duncan

2010-09-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Featured recordings from:

Dirk Michener and Travis Catsull started playing New York City style experimental country music in 2002 on a balcony in Denton, TX. Naming themselves after the Pacific Northwest's most famous poet, Charles Potts, seemed to make perfect sense. After playing tons of campfires, house parties, mexican food restaurants and then a W. Coast tour the Windmill Band brought in new members and instruments. Now, their multi-harmonics are a blissed out spectacle of working man's country that never cease to intrigue and entertain. Funny, thought provoking and blatantly honest, their audience includes bikers, poets, folk enthusiasts, old people, indie rock fags and screaming drunk girls.

SR Duncan is a Vancouver based poet and host of Wax Poetic. He was involved in the emerging slam poetry scene in the 90s in Vancouver.

Teresa Marsh reads from Enlightenment is Letting Go

2010-09-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

In studio guest Teresa Naseba Marsh has many years of experience working with physically, emotionally, politically, and psychologically traumatized clients. She also works closely with, supervises, and teaches professionals working in the trauma and addiction fields. She is a registered nurse with certification in psychiatric and oncology nursing. Teresa completed her degree in nursing education and community health nursing science at the University of South Africa and a master of arts degree in counseling psychology at the Adler School in Chicago. She is the founder of her private practice, Thunzi Umphefumlo.

Teresa is the author of an oncology textbook for health care professionals published in South Africa and also the author of several papers in peer-reviewed journals. She works as a consultant with aboriginal communities with a focus on healing from residential school syndrome, trauma, and addictions. Teresa is a certified yoga teacher and teaches yoga and meditation, individually and in groups. She lives in Vancouver, Canada, with her husband Dr. David Marsh.

Wax Poetic featuring Kagan Goh, August 4, 2010

2010-08-04T15:25:00.001-07:00

Kagan Goh is an award-winning filmmaker, a spoken word poet and actor living in Vancouver. He is has worked on a documentary film called Stolen Memories.

Click below to listen!

Wax Poetic Show, Recordings, June 27, 2010

2010-07-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Featured recordings from:

Chris Gilpin is a spoken word performer, videographer, and arts educator living in Vancouver, Canada. He works as the Onsite Program Facilitator for Animating History at the Museum of Vancouver, and as the Program Coordinator for VPH’s Word Play, Poetry in Schools.
Chris is a two-time member of the Vancouver Poetry Slam Team (2008 & 2009), the runner-up in the 2008 Vancouver Individual Poetry Slam competition, the champion of Vancouver’s 2008 Haiku Death Match, finalist in the 2010 Write Bloody Press manuscript competition and winner of the Vancouver’s 2009 CBC Poetry Face-off.

In the summer of 2006, he toured the Canadian Fringe circuit with his play “87% True: The Lies That Bind”, co-created with Rosemary Rowe. His literary work has been published in Geist, Poetry is Dead, Vancouver Review, 42opus, and many others. He performs as part of the interactive multimedia clown rock supergroup Awesome Face.

Click below to listen!

Wax Poetic featuring New West's Poet Laureate Candice James, July 21, 2010

2010-07-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Candice James was named Poet Laureate of The City Of New Westminster on June 14, 2010. She is a full member of The League Of Canadian Poets; a member of the British Columbia Writers Federation, and Vice President of Poetic Justice poetry group.

Candice was born in New Westminster at Saint Mary’s Hospital in 1948 and has spent most of her life in the City of New Westminster. She graduated in 1965 from Lester Pearson Senior Secondary School, now known as New Westminster Senior Secondary School.

Candice began the rudimentary stages of her writing, at the age of thirteen, composing essays. Over the years Candice continued writing and eventually moved into the arena of Poetry, which continues to be her preferred genre of writing.

She is the Author of the surrealistic, poetry book, “A SPLIT IN THE WATER” consisting of 116 poems which was published by Fiddlehead Poetry Books/University Of New Brunswick Literary Press in 1979 and is currently in many Canadian libraries. This 100 page poetry book is also for sale by bookstores and on the Internet. The Spring 1980 Literary Press Group Catalogue (Association Of Canadian Publishers) described on page 170 “A Split In The Water” by Candice James as follows: “A first book by a self taught poet characterized by brilliant imagery drawn from all facets of modern life."

Candice spent many years employed in the financial services industry, the real estate industry, and the music industry both in the business end and on the performing side. She has continued writing over the past 30 years, mostly poetry, but also 3 screenplays and a children’s book. She has been a featured guest on WAX POETIC, and WORLD POETRY CAFE on CFRO radio in Vancouver, BC and at many poetry readings in New Westminster and the Greater Vancouver area. Her poems have also appeared in local magazines and newspapers.

Click below to listen!

Wax Poetic, July 14, 2010

2010-07-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

Wax Poetic featuring Meta Bach, July 7, 2010

2010-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

Wax Poetic featuring Danika, June 30, 2010

2010-06-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

Wax Poetic featuring CR Avery and mini feat. Paul Fischerm June 23, 2010

2010-06-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

Wax Poetic featuring Charlie, June 16, 2010

2010-06-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

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Wax Poetic, June 9, 2010

2010-06-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

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Wax Poetic Live featuring storyteller Naomi, June 2, 2010

2010-06-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

Rosanne Hamilton in Studio, May 26, 2010

2010-05-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

http://ia360705.us.archive.org/10/items/WaxPoeticWRosanneHamiltonMay262010/5-26-10.m4a

2010 Pandora's Poetry Awards

2010-05-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Pandora’s Collective awards were designed to honour those in our community who have contributed in specific areas. With this in mind we then decided it was important not only to recognize these individuals but to take it to the street, meaning let the community decide who should be honoured. We are privileged to bring to you those names that have been nominated in the Vancouver writing community. They are names that you have put forward. There were many more that could have been on this list, and we do not take anything away from those individuals, they work hard too and should be recognized. But we only have three awards. These were the ones that kept coming up over and over again. We have listened and done the sorting. Now it is your turn once again to tell us which of these outstanding individuals you feel deserves to be recognized this year. We thank you for your time.
I thank you for your support
Bonnie Nish
Executive Director
Pandora’s Collective

To open the following link, right click then click on open hyperlink. It should take you right to the page. If it doesn’t cut and paste.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFlDS3E5ck9JRDVIWHZ4NFFwalBmbnc6MQ

Friday August 20, 2010
Summer Dream: A Night of Honour
Susan Musgrave: Then and Now
Join us at the Jacana Gallery, to celebrate those in the writing community who deserve to be honoured. This Summer Dream night of honouring will begin with a lifetime achievement award for Susan Musgrave whose first book was published 40 years ago and still is a strong force on the Canadian poetry scene. Susan is an inspiration and mentor to so many. We will then go on to give awards to publishers of magazines who continue to support novice and established writers despite cutbacks and inflation. To be honoured are Room, Event, Prism. Sub Terrain, Geist, The Capilano Review and One Cool Word. Finally the evening will end with four special awards. Three will be awards of merit for persons or organizations that support the writing community. These awards will come from the writing community itself as we have asked for nominations and will be putting these names out for a vote. Finally one award will go to recognize an individual who Pandora’s Collective feels has excelled in their support of writers within our community. This evening will continue the Summer Dream commitment to highlighting community involvement to the public. Mike Peacock of Melic Thrum will be our musical featured guest and there will be a special guest appearance by a musician to collaborate on a work of Susan’s.
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Jacana Gallery
2435 Granville Street
Vancouver BC

Bonnie Nish
Executive Director
Pandora's Collective
www.pandorascollective.com

Editor's note: As if it weren't interesting enough, RC and SR are both nominated in the Organizer/Promoter category! Perhaps if there is a tie, they'll Jello wrestle this time for the title!

500 Foot Chicken Heart Attacks June 1!

2010-05-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

Date: June 1, 2010

Café Deux Soleils - 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC

Time: 8:30pm - 11:00pm

Cost: Suggested donation of $5-10.

Radio Show Recreates Unnatural Disaster of Epic Proportions

Vancouver, BC - Return with us to the thrilling days of 1937, when the Hindenburg and Amelia Earhart had folks rethinking air travel for the first time. In the movies Clark Gable didn’t give a damn and the golden age of radio drama was in full swing.

Wax Poetic Radio proudly takes you there with a one-of-a-kind live event on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive in support of CFRO Vancouver’s Independent Cooperative Radio Station.

Experience the spine tingling glory of “The Chicken Heart” - a frenetic tale about a lab experiment gone terribly wrong, written by legendary radio writer/producer Arch Oboler .

The original “Lights Out” version left such an impression on funny man Bill Cosby, that he recounted his experience of hearing it for the first time on his “Wonderfulness” album in 1966 (You can hear Cosby’s version here).

You can hear the original NBC broadcast of “The Chicken Heart” here on YouTube.

Then keep tuning in to Wax Poetic and hear it broadcast on a future program. Like all our shows, we’ll also be storing the episode online to hear and share at your convenience.

We have an ever growing lineup of cast members including Martin Vansteingburg, SR Duncan, Diane Laloge, Alla Shiskov, Aedan Saint, Norah Holtby, Chris Gilpin, Duncan Shields and RC Weslowski--with music by CJ Leon and sound effects by YOU THE "STUDIO AUDIENCE."Plus, we’ll have performances by:

Come be a part of radio history and support your favorite spoken word program, Wax Poetic!

Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam team member and Wax Poetic Volunteer Paul Fischer, Duncan Shields, and your hosts Diane Laloge and S.R. Duncan

And a special onstage interview by The Vancouver Storyteller Society’s Naomi Steinberg

Plus, door prizes, 50/50 draw, and SR’s world famous meat draw (guess what he’ll be giving away!)

For more information check out our website: www.poetryradio.blogspot.com or our Facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000861893901#!/waxpoeticradio?ref=ts

Or contact Steven R. Duncan at 604-788-8340 or srduncan@shaw.ca.

May 12, 2010 Poetry Recordings

2010-05-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Podcast Update

2010-04-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

All of April's Wax Poetic shows have now been added to the iTunes podcast feed as well. Sorry for the delay!

Penn Kemp and Susan McCaslin

2010-04-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Penn Kemp and Susan McCaslin in studio today. Click below to listen! Happy Listening!

Aedan Saint of the Davie Village Poetry Slam

2010-04-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

Award winning poet Susan Katz

2010-04-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Click below to listen!

National Poetry Month Cancelled - Harper Gov Fingered

2010-04-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

National Poetry Month has been a long-standing, popular April tradition in Canada, one that is much anticipated in poetry circles across the country. A time to dust off one's best turtleneck and beret and walk with pride (in broad daylight), knowing that even mimes don't have a month dedicated to them.
But there was no dilligent snapping of fingers or the appreciative tinkle of skinny latte spoons against expresso cups in the nation's coffeehouses and underground speak easys when word filtered down that National Poetry Month had indeed been cancelled.

A release from the Canadian Agency of Cultural Affairs (CACA) pulled no punches and singled out Vancouver specifically by saying:
"We spent a lot of money on your city with the Olympics. Now we have none. You will just have to write your ode to your navel on your own dime."
The letter when on to note:
"Prime Minister Harper wanted you to know that he really like that big guy, Shane Kickstand, and wished he could have accompanied him on piano at the opening ceremonies but had a prior engagement.

The news came as no surprise to some event organizers who saw the writing on the wall after the Olympics, when the Liberal's budget offered a 90% cut to existing meager Arts allocation.
"I've already applied for my old job back at the phone sex company," stated Vancouver poet and radio personality RC Weslowski, who's radio collective, Wax Poetic, is planning a fundraiser in June.
"I can't keep living on cat food and bologna," Weslowski shrugged.
Candlelight vigils are planned across the country.

Grab Bag of Poetry

2010-03-24T14:34:00.001-07:00

SR Duncan in studio playing a variety of poetry. Tune in below!

Patrick Swan!

2010-03-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Listen to Patrick Swan perform on WaxPoetic.

Fatou Wurie in Studio!

2010-03-10T14:35:00.001-08:00

Click below to listen!

March 3, 2010, Carlos Joe Costa

2010-03-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Poet and musician Carlos Joe Costa has this to say about his work and his latest project:

Voice of My Soul is a a collection of poems, stories and songs resulting from a deep spiritual journey twenty five years ago. As I continued on this path, I felt a need to search for a profound purpose in life. A need to express myself from my inner voice where words could be spoken only from my hear and soul. In 1996 I was compelled to write again, but this time I felt I had something to say.

These poems brought me closer to my origins and my cultural heritage. As I wrote, I began to discover the rich life that I have been living surrounded by teachers, messengers and a wonderful family upbringing.

This project has been therapeutic for me in many ways. I lost my parents in 1998. I lost my brother four years later. I found that writing eased the pain as i focused on the fond memories of them. It also compelled me to explore other family members of the past and present.

I believe it is important to also write about the heroes who became my teachers, and friend who made a differencce in my life. The songs were written as a celebration and the stories are dedicated to some wonderful human beings.

Heather Haley features on Wax Poetic

2010-02-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

Heather Haley joins us in studio to read poems from her book "Three Blocks West of Wonderland." Click below to listen.

We also asked her to talk a bit about the book. Here's what she had to say:

What are the three themes you explore most in the book?

Well, I portray the domestic front, though as Karen Solie-with whom I had the privilege of working with at Banff Arts Centre said-“the work is not domesticated. It reflects the nature of language as both a domestic product and as wild—impossible to fully manage or control.” I take a lot of risks in my poems, have an instinct for the weirdness of language, the sound and rhythm. I’ve written a suite of island poems, others about relationships and family; my life partner, my mother, my father, nieces, nephews and several inspired by my son. I also depict the battle front you could say, a suite of poems inspired by my travels with many alluding to our post 9-11 guilt and angst here in the *safe zone.* I think we’re collectively waiting for the other shoe to drop, a dread summed up with a flying motif and section titles named Sky Watchers, Wax Wings and Hard Landings. In addition, I’ve addressed the classic man against nature theme in Hot Dogger, My Mountain and Habitat. I’m intrigued by extreme sports enthusiasts, adrenalin junkies. My father was an intrepid hunter and fisherman, I grew up in the great outdoors but we never felt compelled to climb for the sake of climbing, we just lived in the woods.

In a brief paragraph (2 or 3 sentences), describe what you think the book is about (assuming there is a theme)? I think The Theme is simply prevailing. One of the poems is called How To Remain, beyond mere survival, endurance but thriving, prevailing. Boldly. With panache. Style, grace and good humour. I hope.

Why did you write this book?

Because I had to. Because I wanted to, because I must. I must write. I’m an artist, not a critic, it’s hard for me to theorize or go on about process.

How long did it take?

Too long! This book has been in the works for about three years and making the rounds with publishers for two. I love books, but let’s face it, print is dying. It’s getting harder and harder all the time to get into print. It’s one reason I like to work in other media. Video and music have saved my sanity I swear, which is not to say any of it is easy either.

Who inspires you as a writer?

Too many to name. Let’s see, the Canadians would be Dorothy Livesay, Lorna Crozier, Al Purdy, Susan Musgrave, bill bissett, Margaret Laurence, Michael Turner, Catherine Kidd, Miranda Pearson, Peter Trower, Russell Thornton. I’ve read a lot of Americans having lived as an expatriate for many years. I like Plath and Sexton, Richard Brautigan, ee cummings, Henry Miller, novelists Darcy Steinke and Robert Stone and the beat era poet Kenneth Patchen. I admired William Burroughs more as a character than a writer though I did enjoy Naked Lunch. I used to hang out with a bunch of neo-Surrealists in San Francisco who turned me onto Andre Breton and his wild cross-pollinations with Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray. I like the Latins Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Jean Cocteau is a big influence. I think he must have been the first poet to use film.

Why would people want to buy and read this book?

Because it’s rambunctious, relentlessly witty, visceral, vital, fierce, racy, full of stiletto irony, verve-yet rife with sensitivity-according to the back cover. ;-)

What demographic do you think would be interested in this book (think of your typical audience)?

I don’t know. I find these kinds of questions impossible to answer. Though very DIY, I’m no expert at book marketing. Sorry I can’t answer better than that.

What's next?

Well I’m working on completing two videopoems, and two books, my punk rock novel, The Town Slut’s Daughter and an art book collaboration with photographer Tina Schliessler called Bushwhack. There will be an official Vancouver launch for Three Blocks West of Wonderland in May or June and I hope to travel back east and launch it in Toronto, go on a modest book tour.

News: Join us us on Twitter

2010-02-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

Now you can follow us on Twitter for news on upcoming programs, special events, and lots of other poetry-related info.

http://twitter.com/WaxPoeticRadio

Apr. 21 2010- Two Poets Susan McCaslin and Penn Kemp

2010-02-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Susan McCaslin and Penn Kemp

Susan McCaslin is a prize-winning poet who has published twelve volumes of poetry and taught English and Creative Writing at Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C for twenty-three years. Her most recent volumes include Lifting the Stone(Seraphim Editions, 2007) and Persephone Tours the Underground (Alfred Gustav Press, 2009). She has edited two anthologies and is on the editorial board of Event. Susan is a full-time writer living in Fort Langley, British Columbia who has recently completed a book-length memoir on mysticism and the poetics of mystical experience. Her most recent volume of poetry,Demeter Goes Skydiving, will be published by the University of Alberta Press in the spring of 2011.

London ON poet, performer and playwright Penn Kemp has published twenty-five books of poetry and drama, had six plays and ten CDs produced as well as Canada's first poetry CD-ROM and several award-winning videopoems. She performs in festivals around the world. Penn is the Canada Council Writer-in-Residence at UWO for 2009-10. She hosts an eclectic literary show, Gathering Voices, on Radio Western, CHRW 94.9 FM. Her own project for the year is a book, cd and dvd devoted to Eco Poetry, Luminous Entrance.

Feb. 10, 2010, John Akpata

2010-02-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday February 10th Ottawa poet John Akpata will join Waxpoetic in continuation of celebrating Black History Month.

John Akpata is a writer and poet who lives in Ottawa. He first learned to read and write at the age of three. He has written poetry his whole life. After graduating from Carleton University with a degree in English Literature, John Akpata began to live the life of a true poet. He focused all of his energy into writing and performing, and vowed to make a living off of his art.

Feb. 3 2010 Scruffmouth

2010-02-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday February 3rd another Vancouver local poet Scruffmouth will be visiting Waxpoetic as part of Black History Month.

Kevan Cameron is a writer, a poet and a creator. He is also known as Scruffmouth, the reigning Grand Champion of the 2008 Vancouver Poetry Slam. His work deals with the Black experience throughout history and connecting the dots of the past, present and future. Scruffmouth is a hip-hop griot and has a diverse style of spoken word art ranging from dub poetry, rap artistry and slam poetry. His poems have been published in We Have A Voice: An Anthology of African & Caribbean Student Writing, and Blood Ink: A University of Alberta Literary Journal.

2010-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

UBC Slam Co-founder and poet Lucia Misch is our guest on the show today. Click below to listen!

January 27, 2010 Goh Poh Seng

2010-01-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

This week on a special edition of Wax Poetic we celebrate the life of local dramatist, novelist and poet, Goh Poh Seng, with an interview and reading of his works by his sons, Kagan and Kajin Goh.

Goh Poh Seng was born in Malaya in 1936. He received his medical degree from University College Dublin, and practised medicine in Singapore for twenty-five years. In his time living in Singapore, Dr Goh held many honorary positions including the Chairman of the National Theatre Trust Board between 1967 and 1972. He was committed to the development of Art and cultural policies of post-independent Singapore, as well as the development of cultural institutions such as the Singapore National Symphony, the Chinese Orchestra and the Singapore Dance Company.^[1]

Goh's first novel, If We Dream Too Long won the National Book Development Council of Singapore's Fiction Award in 1976 and has been translated into Russian and Tagalog. His other books include The Immolation, Dance of Moths, Eyewitness, Lines from Batu FerringhiBird With One Wing. His most recent works are his Collections of Poems, As Though the Gods Love Us and The Girl from Ermita. His work also appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies around the world. Goh lived in Canada to which he emigrated in 1986. He died on 10 January 2010 in Vancouver.

From Wikipedia

Photos

Left. At home in Singapore – circa 1970s

Right: With Professor Dennis Enright, poet and Professor of English at the University of Singapore - Early 1960s

Urban Planning by Kim Goldberg

2010-01-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

from RED ZONE (2009, Pig Squash Press)

Urban Planning

Kim Goldberg

Train tracks scrape past the sun-hammered miners’

shacks left over from the last

century. The front side is tarted up

as the Historic Old Quarter. But the backside

holds the story. Just ask the crumbling sunflower

sentries guarding the ass-end

of the Women’s Center. Or the weather-stripped

shiplap on the Bride’s Closet next door

luffing like a beaten flag while some gunk

the color of old blood drips

from a rusty pipe. I know this stuff

because I am now at a sufficiently advanced

stage in my daily rail-walking to support

a head-up gaze at my surroundings without

tumbling into the thorns. Beyond the

bridal store the shaling Occidental

Hotel and Bar prevails like an asylum

for the criminally insane. While across the

tracks a torn quilt pocked with bodily

stains lies splayed on a weedy patch

behind the Thrift Shop – a cardboard box

nightstand totters beside. She will

sleep here again tonight

unless chance finds her at the copshop on

the corner or perhaps in the bed

of someone she meets in the Oxy. And if he’s

not too bad, maybe they’ll get hitched

and pay a visit to the Bride’s Closet (except

that’s likely where her problems started – it’s all so

cyclotronic). He’ll probably keep

spending his nights at the Oxy, coming home

mean, talking fist-speak, till she ducks

out, goes to the Women’s Center, which

will be closed due to funding cuts, so she’ll do

some dumpster diving in the donation box

outside the Thrift Shop till she finds another quilt

and a spot to lie.

* * *

RED ZONE is available at People's Co-op Bookstore in Vancouver and other independent bookstores or directly from the publisher, Pig Squash Press. Email goldberg@ncf.ca for details.

Jan. 13th 2010- Kim Goldberg

2010-01-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

Kim Goldberg is an award-winning poet, journalist and author. She has spent the last three years wandering Nanaimo's back alleys, graffiti galleries, underpasses and homeless camps to create her latest book, RED ZONE – a photo-poetic map of Nanaimo's homeless population. Her previous collection, Ride Backwards on Dragon was a finalist for Canada’s

Lampert Memorial Award for poetry.

More information about Kim's latest book, RED ZONE, can be found at,

http://pigsquash.wordpress.com/

More information about Kim's previous book, Ride Backwards on Dragon, can be found at,

http://www.leafpress.ca/Books_Trade/Goldberg_Pages/Ride%20Backwards%20on%20Dragon.htm
And here>>

January 6th Show

2010-01-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

RC digs into his "Tickle Trunk" of spoken word to share some of his collection on today's show.

Wednesday December 30, 2009 Montreal Poet Jeffrey Mackie

2009-12-30T17:02:00.001-08:00

Jeffrey Mackie is a Montreal poet. He has been published widely both in Canada and internationally. Most recently he had a piece on display in New Westminster City Hall. His poetry has also been translated in Croatia. His latest collection is 'Truth Among the Obsessions'. He also does a literary feature on CKUT radio in Montreal.

"I write poetry and that is what makes me interesting" Vladimir Mayakovsky.

Before migrating to Montreal, Mackie was a regular on the Vancouver spoken word scene and actually lived for a while as Diane's tenant. Mackie and Duncan used to hang out together, and near the end of the show S.R. springs a Christmas Christmas anecdote on Diane about one fated holiday the three spent together several years ago.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

2009-12-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

An annual favorite! Angus Adair returns in spirit to do his rendition of the Grinch, recorded live at Cafe Montmartre this last weekend.

No Guest - no problem!

2009-12-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

Well, unfortunately out impromtu guest, the Mighty Mike McGee, was caught in transit coming back from Victoria and missed the show, but RC reached into his tickle trunk of poetry and pulled up some great tracks from some great performance poets like Al Mader. He then pulled out the classic jazz music from "It's a Charlie Brown Christmas" to take us out. Very fun!

I also gave away some tickets for a local production of a play called Vatzlav. After the show, the producer called to offer our listeners and blog followers a special offer of a pair of tickets to anyone who takes a moment to fill out this little survey. http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en_GB&formkey=dExzWm9odEZpbzAtVHd2bjU0R1BDSkE6MA

You can find more info about the play and Theatre In The Raw here at www.theatreintheraw.ca.

December 9, 2009 Show

2009-12-09T15:15:00.001-08:00

Actor William Samples joins us in studio to give us his rendition of Ebenezer Scrooge as he plays him in PAL Theatre's version of "The Christmas Carol".

November 25th-Toronto's Phoebe Tsang

2009-11-25T14:49:00.000-08:00

Violinist Phoebe Tsang is an active soloist, chamber musician and Principal Second Violinist of the Sinfonia Toronto chamber orchestra. She is currently the co-Artistic Director and co-Founder of the Alicier Arts Chamber Music series. In recent years she has been soloist with the Toronto Philharmonia, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, the Chinese Overseas Philharmonic, and for Esprit Orchestra New Wave and Hot Wave Festivals.

A native of Hong Kong, Phoebe Tsang was raised in England and currently resides in Toronto. Her passion for poetry was first nurtured by her mother's love of English literature, followed by a number of teachers to whom she owes her informal education, including most recently Robert Priest and Allan Briesmaster.

November 18-James Louis

2009-11-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Story telling from James Louis.

Wanda John-Kehewin Wednesday Nov. 11th

2009-11-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

Wanda John-Kehewin is Cree/mixed blood writer, originally from Kehewin Alberta. She studied creative writing briefly at Langara College and majored in Sociology. She was raised on a reservation with only pencils and paper as her creative outlet; she attributes her simple, hard life to opening her world of imagination using words to paint pictures of social justice, realism, love and issues she has faced as a single mother. She moved to the west coast in 1991. Wanda has been a literary performer and publishing poet since she was 16 but only began to seriously ‘write’ again in 2004. She has performed her work at many local events and hopes in the future that she can travel and share her work. She is currently editing a manuscript for publication. Wanda is mother of two sons and one daughter who definitely contribute to her creative writing process.

Heart of the City - Wednesday Nov. 4th

2009-11-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

Richard Tylman (born January 30, 1952) is a Polish-Canadian poet and painter. Born in Kraków, Poland, as Ryszard Tylman, he has lived in Vancouver, Canada, since 1982. Tylman received his Master's degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krak ów.

Tylman was the first of two children of Edward Tylman, professor of engineering from the Kraków University of Technology, and Danuta Krupa, college teacher of nursing. Tylman co-founded a student literary newspaper called “Skarpa”, in which he debuted his free verse poetry with an introduction by the Rector of Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts (PWST), and soon after won the Grand Owl Poetry Award sponsored by the Jagiellonian University of Kraków. He received a Masters degree in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts (ASP), and was chosen to represent Kraków at the national juried exhibition of paintings by the most prominent young professional artists.^[1]^[2]^[3] Following his graduation he worked as an arts instructor and theatre stage designer.

Tylman left Poland in 1981 and settled in Vancouver, where he pursued a career in graphic arts. He became a Canadian citizen in 1985.

While in Canada, Tylman continued writing poetry, articles, and essays in Polish throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, publishing a volume of poetry called Koty marcowe (The Felines of March) in Warsaw in 2002. He began writing poetry in English nearly a decade after becoming a Canadian citizen, and has self-published several limited editions of verse in English and Polish, including Imaginary Lovers, Living Inside the Moving Landscape, Privilege / Przywilej, Wax Poetics, and Selections From an Old Shoebox.

Vancouver Moving Theatre, Carnegie Community Centre & Association of United Ukrainian Canadians present;

The 6th Annual DTES Heart of the City Festival

Wednesday October 28 – Sunday November 8, 2009

More than 80 events at over 25 locations throughout the DTES

6^th Annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival celebrates the creative and committed communities, artists and activists who thrive in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The theme of the 2009 festival is Illuminating the Four Corners - the intersection of Main and Hastings Street, at the very heart of the Downtown Eastside - and this year the festival will feature twelve days of musical showcases, play readings, spoken word, writers writing, films, poetry, processions, community dances, workshops, discussions, gallery exhibits, mixed media viewings, art talks, history talks, and history walks at the four corners and throughout the surrounding neighbourhoods (Gastown, North Hastings, Strathcona and Chinatown). The 2009 Festival also offers a special spotlight on Downtown Eastside, First Nation and Asian Canadian artists, producers, curators and residents and their perspective on ‘standing proud’ at the Four Corners.

Highlights include The Sandy Scofield Band; a Comedy Evening at Carnegie; an afternoon to honour DTES poet Bud Osborn; the DTES Music Theatre Showcase; the highly acclaimed Khac Chi Bamboo Music at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden; and Illuminating the Four Corners, an outdoor multi-level event at Main and Hastings featuring visual projections on buildings and through windows that focus on the faces and the voices of the Downtown Eastside.

Festival programming on Co-op Radio CFRO 102.7fm includes: a broadcast of the radio play Jack Benny Live at the Pantages on Arts Rational Thurs Oct 29, 9pm; Rudolf Penner and Robyn Livingstone on World Poetry Café Tues Nov 3, 9pm; and a special poetic guest on Wax Poetic Wed Nov 4, 2pm.

Most festival events are free or pay as you can. Visit www.heartofthecityfestival.com for full details.

Julie Parnell Wednesday October 28th 2009

2009-10-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Julie first developed her lust for performing back in Winnipeg.
It was a grey winter in 1999. With not much to amuse herself with she found performance art.
She has since been on the Winnipeg Slam team, written and preformed a comic book called "Steve", featured here and there as well as put out a cd entitled "things i shoulda' said last week". Her recent claim to fame is "Re/Dis/Covey" which is a art show at Gallery Gachet on from Oct.9th to 30th....featuring a spectacular finale on the 30th of performance art with Shamans and all!
She now gets her kicks trying to figure out how being a Shamanic artist can pay the bills!!!
you can contact her with any of your brilliant ideas or comments
at funkiejulie@yahoo.com

RE/DIS/COVERY & SPOILAGE
Oct 9 - Nov 1
Opening Reception Friday, October 9th 7-10pm
Gallery Gachet
88 East Cordova

Multi-media and text based artists and performance poets, Julie Parrell and Shannon Rayne come together to share more than just their love of mixing words with visual mediums. Julie and Shannon through a series of text based mixed media compositions challenge assumptions surrounding the label of weakness often associated with personal addictions.

're/dis/covery' exposes the range of emotions experienced with discovering the effect that addiction has in order to rediscover our own strength and ultimately recover.

Opening reception, October 9th, Gallery Gachet, 7 -10pm
A night of performances and performance art to follow on October 30th.

< http://poetryradio.blogspot.com/search/label/Shannon%20Rayne%20Pidlubny >

Technical Craziness with this week's show!

2009-10-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who listen to Co-op regularly on Wednesdays, you might have heard dead air from about 10:30am caused by an extensive power outage in the DTES. Power resumed almost exactly at 2pm, leaving me and Leela Chinniah station manager, scrambling to reset machines and try to get things churning again. Of course, to make matters worse, the cd I brought didn't read properly either, so folks didn't get to hear the Wayne & Shuster Shakespearean Baseball sketch. I did manage to get a very funny version of Casey at the Bat by Garrison Keillor. That was amazing, but the the show ended up being severely truncated due to technical problems (for once not caused by us), so we likely not put the show up on the site.
We're back in action next week and hope you'll join us.

Steve

2009-10-16T08:38:00.003-07:00

"Rob Taylor lives in Vancouver with his wife, Marta. He has been writing poetry since 2003 and his poems have appeared in more than thirty publications, including Sub-Terrain, Rocksalt and A Verse Map of Vancouver. He has released two chapbooks. The most recent,Child of Saturday, is based on his time spent living in Ghana in 2006-07. He co-founded Simon Fraser University's student poetry zine High Altitude Poetry, and One Ghana, One Voice, Ghana's first online poetry magazine. He is also the poetry editor at Red Fez. He likes to write poems about the #20 bus, swimming pools, and the BC Lions."

< http://oneghanaonevoice.com/2007/06/author-profile-rob-taylor.html >

Daniela Elza is currently a doctoral student in Philosophy of Education at SFU. She has more than 120 poems released into the world. This year her work appeared in Verse Map of Vancouver, Press 1, Vallum, 4poets (Mother Tongue Publishing, 2009) and is forthcoming in educational insights, Matrix, The Trumpeter, The New Orphic Review as well as the anthology Mutanabbi Street Starts Here (Red Hen Press, 2009). She lives with her family in Vancouver.

< www.flee.com >

Wednesday Oct 14, Rob Taylor and Daniela Elza

2009-10-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

< http://oneghanaonevoice.com/2007/06/author-profile-rob-taylor.html >

< http://oneghanaonevoice.com/2009/02/author-profile-daniela-elza.html >

Poem by Taylor Mali

2009-10-11T01:04:00.000-07:00

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Special Event: Poetry for Peace

2009-10-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Poets Against War Canada & Pandora’s Collective
PRESENT AN EVENING OF POETRY FOR PEACE
Sean Arthur Joyce, Daniela Elza, Steven Duncan, RC Weslowski, Robin Susanto, Bonnie Nish, Sita Carboni, Rob Taylor
October 25, 6:30 pm
followed by open mic
Café Montmartre
4362 Main Street,
Vancouver, BC
www.poetsagainstwar.ca
www.pandorascollective.com

October 7th Show

2009-10-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

Steve reads from his collection of poetry about sports, RC reads about woodchucks, and Diane reads about a kitchen party! Assorted poems from CD, T.L. Groves and Lisa B (Victoria, Salvaged Music).

Shannon Rayne

2009-09-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today's guest is Winnepeg raised poet Shannon Rayne who will be part of the upcoming show at Gallery Gachet. Listen in on Oct. 28th when we will be talking with Shannon's collaborator Julie Parnell
RE/DIS/COVERY & SPOILAGE
Oct 9 - Nov 1
Opening Reception Friday, October 9th 7-10pm
Gallery Gachet
88 East Cordova

Gallery Gachet brings together two shows exploring similar themes around addictions, and the often ignored impact on family and loved ones. Featuring 3 diverse female artists and a broad range of disciplines. These shows also serve as a platform for performance poets/writers, Julie and Shannon to translate their written discourse into a progressive art exhibition.

RE/DIS/COVERY

Multi-media and text based artists and performance poets, Julie Parrell and Shannon Rayne come together to share more than just their love of mixing words with visual mediums. Julie and Shannon through a series of text based mixed media compositions explore and discovery the role that drugs/alcohol has in their lives, challenging assumptions surrounding the label of weakness often associated with personal addictions and with the choice to stay with addicted partners.

're/dis/covery' exposes the range of emotions experienced with discovering the effect that addiction has in order to rediscover our own strength and ultimately recover.

**This is Shannon and Juilie's first art exhibition featuring text based mixed media compositions.**

Opening reception, October 9th, Gallery Gachet, 7 -10pm
A night of performances and performance art to follow on October 30th.

Jim Carroll Retrospect

2009-09-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

We spend the show revisiting the life of the legendary Jim Carroll with work from RC' s private collection.

More on the man here >>>

Special Event: Jullanar of the Sea @ the Fringe

2009-09-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Naomi Steinberg

Storytelling : Jullanar of the Sea

Vancouver Fringe Festival

www.vancouverfringe.com

SEPTEMBER 11-20

RAIN OR SHINE !!!!

Venue : BYOV location D - see p. 26-27 of programme guide http://www.vancouverfringe.com/2009-program-guide/

Fri 11 - 8pm

Sat 12 - 8:30 pm

Sun 13 - 2 pm , 7pm

Wed 16 - 8pm (half price)

Thurs 17 - 8pm

Fri 18, 8pm

Sat 19 - 2pm, 8 pm

Sun 20 - 7 pm

Jullanar of the Sea

Once, a mysterious woman from under the ocean became the favourite of king of the land. When their son grew up, he too desired an underwater princess and when these two met on an island under the full moon, they IMMEDIATELY fell in love. BUT…, because of a terrible fight, the princess cursed the prince, turning him into a pretty bird and banishing him to the Island of Thirst. He then had a VERY eventful journey home (mm - hmmmmm...). ...and then, wouldn't you know it , they lived together happily ever after.

How’d it all happen you ask? ...... Come listen and find out !!

….

Jullanar of the Sea is said to be the last story told by Scheherazade in the 1001 Arabian Nights. This collection of tales coming to us from Persia, best known for the stories of Aladdin or Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, is a treasure trove of wisdom and humanity.

“Persia is today’s Iran. I know that love, poetry, adventure and a good fairytale always come at the right time however, I would never have thought that the story I am working with would be so relevant at this time. There is a pressing need to stand in solidarity with those who strive to keep culture alive in the face of oppressive regimes, whether in Iran or elsewhere. There is so much diversity to celebrate and love in the world; to tell these fairytales in all their classic charm, poignant wit and profound wisdom is a true honour and delight.”

Naomi Steinberg

storyteller

www.naomi-eliana.ca

Sept. 15, 2009 - Addena Sumter-Freitag

2009-09-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Addena Sumter-Freitag is a 7th generation African Canadian. She was born in St. Boniface, grew up in Winnipeg's North End, and has lived all across Canada.

Currently she says “I live in East Vancouver because, I love the swirls of color in the paint of its people, and the music of languages that play in the air. The neighbourhood’s vibrancy and diversity remind me of Winnipeg's North End, so it feels like home.” She shares a household with her husband Irvin and daughter April. "No dogs, no cats, no fish, and only plants that understand water is a rare treat."

Besides her big and extended family, the stage is Addena’s true love, followed closely by story and poetry performance, which she has been involved in for the past 25 years, performing across Canada and in Australia.

Addena has become a familiar face and voice in Vancouver’s poetry and storytelling community, performing at the Vancouver Storytelling Festival, Vancouver Spoken Word Festival, The World Poetry Reading Series, and Vancouver’s Women’s Film Festival.

Writing

Addena loves to challenge ‘form’ in order to bring her stories, characters, and worlds alive, inviting you love them, hate them, Identify with them, or wonder at them.

“I love to make my audience laugh, and encourage them to cry, whatever the musical and composition of the language compels them to feel.”

Her book, Stay Black & Die, published by Commodore Books, has been included in the English curriculum reading lists at UBC, Emily Carr, Vanier College: Montreal, and Women’s studies, UBC.

Check out her interview on Live On the Drive on YouTube:

Sept. 2, 2009 - Elizabeth Fischer

2009-09-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Our guest for this show is singer for Vancouver's Dark Blue World, Elizabeth Fischer.

The Dark Blue World website has this to say about her:

"Brecht didn't have any influence on my writing, 'cause I knew nothing about Brecht when I started," she explains... "Someone--I don't remember who--always said I should be singing that stuff, but I knew nothing about it. But when I did finally get presented with it, it turned out that I have a real natural affinity for it. And now, when I look at the stuff that I write, of course it has similarities, or it has a similar point of inspiration."

"We might share a certain disappointed humanism, I guess," she adds. "Although he obviously had more faith than I, since he did manage to be a Communist, which I cannot seem to manage to achieve. You cannot idealize the human situation, because human beings will disappoint you at every turn. However, kindness counts. Really, it's the only way to behave."

Those who know Fischer only casually might find that last statement strange. She can be a harsh critic of other artists' work and there is an obvious morbidity in much of her songwriting. "I write about what I see, which is none too pretty," she says. But the horror in her work comes out of her empathy for the unhappy and oppressed, and underneath her black humour and equally black bangs lies a surprisingly generous spirit. -

Alex Varty, Georgia Straight

full review

Go here for samples of their music >>>

Rare Ginsberg in Vancouver Video

2009-08-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

Came across this great reading of Allen Ginsberg shot by Leonore Herb when he was in Vancouver in 1985.
Hope you like.

Show Pre-empted

2009-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be no Wax Poetic on Coop Radio on Wednesday Aug. 5, 2oo9.

We will be back again the following week with new, fresh poetry featuring writers participating in the Summer Dream Literary Arts Festival. Stay Tuned!

Special Event: Lisa Shatzky to be Guest on Wax Poetic @ Summer Dream Live Broadcast Simulation

2009-08-03T22:33:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, August 22th, Wax Poetic once again takes part in what will be the 6th Annual Summer Dream Festival. As we've done in the past, Diane, RC and I will be staging a live "simulation" of our regular radio show. This year we are happy to present Bowen Island Poet Lisa Shatzky!
After a brief reading, members of the audience are invited to ask the writer questions.

Lisa Shatzky's poetry has been accepted for publication in The New Quarterly, The Nashwaak Review, Canadian Literature, and The Sun (U.S.) and has been published in Monday's Poem (Leaf Press, 2009), Jones Ave., The Prairie Journal, The Dalhousie Review, The Antigonish Review, Canadian Woman Studies, Cahoots, Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, Insights, Sandstar Poetry for Peace (U.S.), Canadian Poetry Institute, Between the Sheets, The McGill Daily, and others. Her work has been performed at Vancouver's Word on the Street, Kaslow Folk Festival, Sunshine Coast Aboriginal Day, The Pacific Rim Whale Festival, World Poetry, and most recently, at The Montreal Jazz Festival, as well as other literary and cultural events around B.C. . Her poetry book "A Pail for the Blackberries" is currently being considered by a Canadian publisher for 2010. When not writing she works as a psychotherapist on Bowen Island, B.C. where she lives.

For more information about the festival and how you can become involved, check out the website at http://www.pandorascollective.com/sdrfestival.html
Don't forget to visit our table and say hi when you are there and keep listening to Wax Poetic for previews featuring other festival performers in the weeks leading up to the festival.

Passages: Gerry Gilbert 1936 - 2009

2009-07-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 7, 1936 - Friday, June 19, 2009
Gerry, poet, moved into the past tense Friday in Vancouver after a lifetime dedicated to writing, photography and art. He will be greatly missed by his son Jeremy in Toronto and daughter Tamsin Bragg (Ritchie) in Saltspring Island, and by his grandchildren Cassandra and Drew Storey in Saltspring, and Matilda in Toronto.
Gerry was pre-deceased by his daughter Lara, sister Linda, and parents Ralph and Betty, all of Vancouver.
Gerry, once called the "Jude the Obscure of the Vancouver poetry scene," published many books of poetry and prose, including "Moby Jane," "Grounds" and "Azure Blues" and was for many years host of "radiofreerainforest" on Co-op radio.
He published "BC Monthly," a writing journal, and had numerous photographic and audio-visual exhibitions. Through BC Monthly and radiofreerainforest, he was the most active of all the poets in the Vancouver poetry community in promoting and supporting the work of other poets from all the many groups and schools in the city. He lived for the last 40 years in and around Vancouver's Downtown East Side, subsisting on his writing. His family would like to extend their gratitude to Marlene Swidzinsky and James Campbell, Jamie and Carol Reid, and the staff of St. Paul's Hospital palliative ward. Gerry's ashes will be spread over the waters by Jericho Beach, to join his family there who preceded him.

There will also be a gathering in Vancouver - A Memorial Celebration - for Gerry Gilbert at 2:00pm on Saturday, August 15 at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews - on Pacific Avenue between Davie and Drake. Tasmin Gilbert Bragg and Jeremy Gilbert warmly invite you to attend. For further information: dadababy@shaw.ca

News: Seattle’s Standup Poet and Minimalist Jug Band Among 100 Unique Performers at the Summer Dream Festival (August 19 – 29)

2009-07-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Vancouver, BC – Once again, this unique festival packs it stages with some of the most dynamic and eclectic performers in the arts community. Among them are Seattle’s Jack McCarthy and Al Mader – Vancouver’s one-and-only Minimalist Jug Band.

Jack McCarthy was born in Massachusetts and now lives in Seattle, Washington. He began writing poetry in the 1960s, but did not begin performing his works for audiences until the 1990s. It was then that he was introduced to slam poetry at the Cantab Lounge in Boston, Massachusetts, after intending to get his daughter interested in the art form. McCarthy has described his performance style as "stand-up poetry," or that he is a "stand-up poet," in that the work he does on stage is not subject to a specific regimen of poetic style, but is loose enough in form to be humorous and performed in a manner similar to that of stand-up comedy. He was awarded "Best Standup Poet" by the Boston Phoenix in the 1990s. In short time, McCarthy has placed himself into a niche of spoken word that had long been unnoticed: the funny character. His storytelling and humor are well regarded within the performance poetry community. McCarthy has relocated with his wife to the Seattle, Washington area and can be found performing at the Seattle Poetry Slam and other such events in the Pacific Northwest. In 1996, McCarthy competed and took a spot on the Boston poetry slam team and went to the National Poetry Slam held that year in Portland, Oregon.

Al Mader- The Minimalist Jug Band, is somewhat of a local legend and perhaps one of the most original performers on the Vancouver Spoken Word scene. He’s been called a cross between Johnny Cash and Steven Wright and his performance (in which he accompanies himself on a simple washtub bass and on delightful occasion, a plastic banana harmonica) is best-described as a fusion of rockabilly and beatnik jazz. Something of a poet’s poet, Mader’s songs are often homaged by other artists. His “Dead Man’s Pants” has become a house party anthem. Check him out performing it here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftVDyrK5PbQ
Lately he has been collaborating with Folk singer/songwriter Petunia, to produce an even deeper and broader range of music and spoken word.
Photo by: Kat Kosiancic

Other poetic notables in the festival include Vancouver’s first poet laureate George McWhirter, radio personality and poetry slam guru RC Weslowski (Wax Poetic CFRO 102.7fm), Dorothy Livesay Poetry Award winners Rita Wong and Evelyn Lau.

The festival kicks off on August 19th with a special reading at the Jewish Community Centre where featured poets Fran Bourassa, Christine LeClerc, Christy Hill, Daniela Elza and Steve Duncan will read poetry inspired by artist Linda Frimer’s work.
The main event happens on Saturday, August 22nd with a free, all-day, large scale happening at Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park, showcasing the talents of numerous musicians, spoken word artists and storytellers, children’s entertainers, dancers, as well as resource tables and panel discussions by writing and publishing experts. The festival will also be holding 2 days of workshops (Aug. 23rd and 29th) designed to help writers grow professionally and creatively. Some topics and facilitators include S.R. Duncan talking about chapbook design and marketing; and Jen Currin unraveling the mysteries of the prose poem. For more information about the workshops, or to register, contact Bonnie Nish at blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca
Pre-registration and payment is necessary. Spaces are limited so sign-up now or be disappointed. For media information and full festival details visit http://www.pandorascollective.com/sdrfestival.html
or call Steve Duncan at 604-788-8340. srduncan@shaw.ca.

Pandora’s Collective would like to thank the following sponsors for making this event possible: Giest, Vancouver Review, Subterrain, Event, Room With A View, 3 Day Novel Contest, Prism, Capilano Review, One Cool Word, Vancouver Story Tellers, Vancouver Public Library, Quills, Nestor's Market, Graphic design by CWCLCOGY with Wera, Vancouver Parks Board, 2008 Celebrations Grant c/o The City of Vancouver and The Office of Cultural Affairs, CBS Outdoor, Starbucks, VanCity, Christianne's Lyceum, Coast Capital Savings, The Federation of BC Writers, Burnaby Writers Society, Industrial Alliance Pacific Life Insurance Company, BC Poetry, Jaffer Speech and Language Services, Irene Livingston, Don Simpson, Joyce Statton, Randy Jacobs, Bernice Lever, Andrea Winterbottom and Robin Susanto.

Come be a part of Vancouver’s best-kept summer secret!

July 8, 2009 ~ Alyx Dellamonica

2009-07-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Alyx Dellamonica is a Vancouver writer whose first novel, the apocalyptic fantasy INDIGO SPRINGS, will be in bookstores this November. Filled with sexual tension, unrequited love, messy ethical dilemmas and an ecologically unbalanced form of magic, the book tells the story of three friends who inadvertently cause the mystical equivalent of a nuclear meltdown in a small town in Oregon.

Dellamonica's fiction began to appear in print in 1986, and despite repeated washings, remains in circulation in a variety of print and on-line locales. Her alternate history of Joan of Arc, "A Key to the Illuminated Heretic," was short-listed for the 2005 Sidewise Award and in 2006 she was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts' Grant for Emerging Artists for her novel THE WINTERGIRLS. She teaches writing through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

In her spare time, she sings alto in the Vancouver Lesbian and Gay Choir, gardens, and is an avid digital photographer. Her twenty-year marriage to wine enthusiast Kelly Robson became legal in 2005.

"Being a writer is like being Spiderman. It may not always be easy--at times, it can be terribly hard. The highs are stratospheric, while the lows... occasionally, you even want to quit. But storytelling is a form of superpower; once it gets hold of a person, it will express itself one way or another. The trick is to find a way to tell your tales, to the best of your ability, while living a full and vibrant life."

Passages: Robin Blaser (1925- 2009)

2009-05-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

May 18, 1925 - May 7, 2009

Born in Denver, Colorado, Blaser grew up in Idaho, and came to Berkeley, California in 1944. There he met Jack Spicer and Robert Duncan, becoming a key figure in the so-called San Francisco Renaissance of the 1950s and early 1960s. He moved to Canada in 1966, joining the faculty of Simon Fraser University; he held the position of Professor Emeritus. He lived in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia.

In June 1995, for Blaser's 70th birthday, a conference was held in Vancouver to pay tribute to his contribution to Canadian poetry. The conference, known as the "Recovery of the Public World" (a phrase borrowed from Hannah Arendt), was attended by poets from around the world, including Canadian poets Michael Ondaatje, Steve McCaffery, Phyllis Webb, George Bowering, Fred Wah, and Daphne Marlatt; and poets who reside in the United States, including Michael Palmer and Norma Cole (who was born in Canada, subsequently migrating to San Francisco).

Read the full Wikipedia article here>>>

Miriam Davidson

2009-05-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Miriam Davidson is a versatile singer/songwriter and educator on the Vancouver music scene. Her experience in jazz, pop and classical genres has given her music a distinctive sound. She released her sophomore album Second Take in May 2005.

In 1998 she recorded and produced her debut CD Subtexts featuring Jon Roper and Marc Rogers. All but three of the songs on the album were written by Miriam. She also sang background vocals for Rob Best's World Jive Big Band's CD "Motsola" in 1999. Miriam sang alto on the Laudate Singers CD releases Christmas Journey and Songs Of Heaven And Earth, A Baroque Christmas and a soon to be recorded release of Celtic music as well as on the Elektra Women’s Choir's CD A Child Of Grace. She continues to be a principal member of the Laudate Singers. In 2002, she toured Germany, Austria and Italy with the Capilano College Singers. In August 2003, she sang alto in the Festival Vancouver Chorus Gala Opening concert featuring world renowned conductor Helmuth Rilling conducting Schubert's Mass in A Flat. During the Christmas season, she sings in and manages an a cappella vocal ensemble Caminando as well as a seasonal solo voice & piano act.

Her new CD is much different than the jazz of her debut album. Second Take appeals to a wide range of musical tastes but it especially appeals to fans of Sarah Harmer's and Beth Orton's modern takes on the female singer songwriter genre.

Miriam performs her unique style of music all over the Vancouver area. She performs as solo voice and piano act as well as with her four piece band. Recently, she added harmony vocalists to her live show. This has produced beautiful and vocally lush sound. Her music is perfect for intimate settings, concerts and festivals.

Bookings & Contact Information:
Bak Ground Music
P.O. Box 21525, 1424 Commercial Dr.,
Vancouver, BC V5L 5G2
tel: 604-258-0440 cell: 778-862-5691

About Town: Poetry Workshop w/ Joy Russell

2009-05-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

Re-Verse, Re-Vise
An intensive day-long workshop for poets on creating new poems and re-shaping and re-thinking old ones. This workshop will focus on techniques and exercises to push poems into new territory, explore ways to re-see material and work creatively with the challenges of editing. Bring a notebook and 2 draft poems: 1 copy of one and 10 copies of another to workshop with the group.
For Adults (18 +).
1 Session.
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Cost - $70
Location: False Creek Community Centre
1318 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver
To Register:
False Creek Community Centre: www.FalseCreekCC.ca
Tel: (604) 257-8195 1318
Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver
* Please register early to avoid disappointment in workshop being cancelled.
Instructor - Joy Russell Poet, playwright and writer, Joy Russell’s work has appeared in a number of publications including The Best Canadian Poetry in English, 2008, The Fire People, The Capilano Review, IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain and Bluesprint: Black British Columbian Literature and Orature .

April 18 ~ Wanda Nowicki

2009-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hailing from Vancouver Canada, singer Wanda Nowicki received most of her training and experience in Los Angeles, California.

After a summer scholarship at THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS, she was accepted to the LEE STRASBERG THEATRE INSTITUTE in Hollywood where she studied voice and stage performance for four years. She continued with private lessons with SETH RIGGS and ELIZABETH SABINE.

She has performed cabaret, rock, blues, and most notably jazz, in every possible venue. She's had the pleasure of sharing the stage with BIG JAY MCNEELY and RICHARD BERRY, as well as fronting her own band in Los Angeles for twenty years.

Besides her singing career, Wanda has also worked steadily in the voice over and animation industry on a variety of projects.

Her singing style has been compared to JUNE CHRISTY, but her influences are more along the lines of ABBY LINCOLN, RICKIE LEE JONES, and DELLA REESE, to name a few!

Joining forces with Steve Bagnell, Mark Bender, and Chris Potter, the WANDA NOWICKI GROUP has been playing regularly throughout the Vancouver area for over 4 years. "I've played with a lot of player's in a lot of different circumstances, but these boys are by far the most fun and professional players I have had ever had the pleasure of working with."

Wanda is also the co-host of Vancouver's hippest and most popular open mike nights - THUNDERING WORD. It takes place the 1st, 3rd, and 5th (if there is one) Sunday of every month at Cafe Montmartre on Main St.

Besides singing and hosting in Vancouver, Wanda also has extensive experience in the voice over industry. She has done commercials, animation, and looping for a variety of Japanese anime productions.

A Big "Thank You" to Smell This! Aromatherapy Products For Sponsoring Our Fundraiser!

2009-04-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

On behalf of all of us at Wax Poetic, we would like to thank Arline and Leonora at Smell This! Aromatherapy for helping us out by donating a lovely take out basket of aromatherapy products for our recent fundraiser. Proceeds for the night have gone a long way to keeping us on the air and spreading the spoken word!
Take some time to check out the Smell This! website:
http://www.smellthis.ca
Tell them Wax Poetic sent you!

Smell This! Aromatherapy is dedicated to offering the
highest quality essential oils, synergy blends, carrier oils,
pure-fumes and our own line of natural skin and body
care products, to enable you to truly experience
aromatherapy at its best.

Smell This! Commitment
Every product is formulated by our Certified Aromatherapist who uses pure essential therapeutic grade oils as well as pure and natural base oils. No chemicals or harmful preservatives are used. With the increased use of cosmetic chemicals in the market, we realize the importance of insuring that our oils are pure and unadulterated. We deal only with ethical, environmentally conscious growers. All of our products are labeled with ingredients, directions and health warnings.

Our Certified Aromatherapist
Arline Trividic, R.A.H.P. a certified aromatherapist, is the owner of Smell This! Aromatherapy Inc., a company dedicated to promoting and educating clients in the use of high quality essential oils and aromatherapy products.

The Biz
Smell This! Aromatherapy products are becoming popular across Canada because of their commitment to using top quality ingredients from sustainable, enviro-ethical resources and avoiding the use of parabens, sodium laurel sulfates, mineral oils and other harmful ingredients.
In addition, all Smell This! products contain only natural preservatives. Smell This! has been in business since 2002 and has seen consistent growth allowing for an expansion into larger facilities in 2007. Members of the Leading Spas of Canada, BCAOA and BCAPA.

We Make Scents for your Lifestyle.
Included in the Take-Out Box is:
Naughty Nights - Body Lotion
Chocolate Mousse Body Scrub
Tropical Tease Pure-fume Roll-On
Masseuse in a Bottle Aromatherapy Blend Roll-On
Chill Out Pure Aromatherapy Blend for Diffuser
Vanilla - 100% Soya Candle
Peppermint Pure Essential Oil (10ml Boxed)
Inner Smile Collection: Ajna “third eye” Chakra Aromatherapy Solid Stick
“Hooked-On” Bubblegum Lip Balm

Smell This! Aromatherapy Inc. | tel. 604.957.9984 | toll free. 1.877.645.2873 | fax. 604.957.987

Special Event: Wax Poetic/Co-op Radio Fundraiser

2009-04-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

YOU'RE INVITED TO A POETRY PARTY/FUNDRAISER

TUESDAY APRIL 7TH

CAFÉ DEUX SOLEILS

STARTING AT 7:30PM

FOR WAX POETIC AND CO OP RADIO 102.7 FM

http://www.poetryradio.blogspot.com/

http://www.coopradio.org/

WE WILL BE RAISING MONEY FOR THE SHOW AND THE STATION

(BECOME A MEMBER)

WITH FEATURED PERFORMANCES BY

TANYA EVANSON

http://www.mothertonguemedia.com/

ROWAN LIPKOVITS

SUSAN CORMIER

DUNCAN SHIELDS

DANIEL MARK PATTERSON

AND

AN INTERVIEW AND READING BY VANCOUVER'S OUTGOING POET LAUREATE

GEORGE McWHIRTER

WE WILL ALSO HAVE A POETRY OPEN MIC FROM 7:30-8PM

THERE WILL ALSO BE A MEAT DRAW!

A 50/50 DRAW FOR SOME COOL POETRY PRIZES

WAX POETIC IS YOUR WEEKLY APPOINTMENT WITH THE MUSE

WEDNESDAY FROM 2-2:30PM

WITH YOUR HOSTS

DIANE LALOGE, SR DUNCAN AND RC WESLOWSKI

ON CO OP RADIO 102. 7 FM

Dylan Thomas Circle

2009-03-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

We'll be visited by members of Vancouver's Dylan Thomas Circle to find out more about the writer, his work and the group.

Read more here:

http://www.welshsociety.com/ARAbout.htm#Dylan

City of Vancouver Poet Laureate

2009-03-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

City of Vancouver Poet Laureate
Call for Expressions of Interest

The City of Vancouver would like to hear from poets interested in
becoming the City's second Poet Laureate. The call for nominations and
submissions is open
until March 11, 2009.

Nominations/applications are invited from published poets who are
currently resident in the City of Vancouver and who have either an
established body of work or have been recognized for notable
contributions early in their career.

The Poet Laureate will be selected for a period of two years, commencing
in May 2009. A two-year stipend of $7,000 ($3,500 per year) will be
provided to the Poet Laureate, funded by a generous donation by Dr.
Yosef Wosk and held in trust by the Vancouver Foundation.

More information, including terms of reference and submission procedure
is available at:

www.vpl.ca or at the Official Site of Vancouver's Poet Laureate
vancouververse.ca

Alex Gavrilovich

2009-02-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

Alex Gavrilovich was born in 1972 in Lviv, Ukraine and in 1977 moved with his parents to Israel. There he learned Hebrew and his first poems were in that language as well as in Russian, his mother tongue.
In 1988 he immigrated to Canada and graduated high school in Toronto, still writing mainly in Hebrew, but slowly switching to English as his main language of expression.
In 1994 he gained his B.A. in political science from York University in Toronto and in 1998 graduated from law school at the University of Ottawa after 3 years of studies.
In 2000 he moved to Vancouver where he wrote my first novella "The Sky of God" and finished a collection of short stories that he began in 1998 in Toronto. He also completed two books of poetry and currently working on a book of philosophy "The Enlightenment of Adam".

Meredith Quartermain

2009-02-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

At age 11, Meredith Quartermain left her home in Ontario and travelled across Canada with her family to the tiny, one-time silver boom community of Argenta, British Columbia. There she developed a strong sense of place that influenced her writing and remained with her during her studies at the University of British Columbia. In 1983, Quartermain was commissioned to write a history of York House School, which prompted her exploration of Vancouver archival materials and pioneer narratives.

Quartermain is the author of several poetry collections, including the 2006 BC Book Prize for Poetry winner, Vancouver Walking. She is also the co-founder of Nomados, a small literary press in Vancouver.

Her latest collection, Nightmarker, was released in September 2008.

Preview before you buy! Get the full poetic experience and listen to Meredith Quartermain read from these Nightmarker pieces (click on the title to listen):

Discovery at Sea 7

Bird City

Queen Dreams

Alicia Sometimes

2009-02-04T00:03:00.000-08:00

UHeat, Poetrix, Short Fuse, Hecate, papertiger, Blue Dog, Overland, Meanjin etc. She has performed spoken word over 400 times as a feature or guest at many venues, festivals and events in Australia, Berlin, London and New Zealand, including the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Melbourne Writers' Festival, Queensland Poetry Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Mildura Arts Festival, Tasmanian Poetry Festival, Sydney Writers' Festival, The Big Day Out and the Newcastle Writers' Festival also appearing on the SBS TV program Nomad and ABC TV shows Recovery and Sunday Arts. Her work has appeared on many spoken word CDs, including Going Down Swinging, You Talkin To Me?, Short Fuse (US) and Synaptic Graffiti. Her first collection of poetry, kissing the curve was released in 2003 through Five Islands Press.

Alicia conducted many workshops in cities and regional areas working with communities to showcase poetry performances.

She has also been awarded residencies at Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre, Varuna and the Melbourne Aquarium.

Go here for a sneak peak of what to expect.

January 28 - Jamie Reid

2009-01-28T23:11:00.000-08:00

Jamie Reid was born in Timmins, Ontario in 1941. He first encountered poetry on his mother’s knee, where she would recite from memory The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and The Cremation of Sam McGee. At the University of British Columbia, Reid met Warren Tallman and together with George Bowering, Fred Wah and several other writers founded TISH in 1961; they would later become collectively known as the Tish poets.

In the latter half of the 1960s, Reid organized Vancouver’s first Be-In, a gathering of activists following the example of a similar event in San Francisco. In 1967 he withdrew to the countryside of the Okanagan, where he wrote his first book of poems, The Man Whose Path Was on Fire (1969), which took the Canadian literary scene by storm. Reid then travelled to central Canada and, in his words, “became a fierce communist for almost twenty years,” which landed him numerous visits to prison, allegedly for assaulting police officers. For the last four or five years he has been indulging his taste for Dadaism and literary anarchism by publishing a well-respected magazine of local and international avant garde writing called DaDaBaBy, through which Reid continues to do his part in disrupting and challenging contemporary economic and political structures. Reid’s poetic work is fiercely intelligent, fearlessly incisive, and always politically charged.

Jamie will be reading at the Pooka Press book launch on January 22.
Book launch details:

THURSDAY January 22nd
7PM - 9PM

come for the Launch of Cath Morris' VENUS & APOLLO
& get a signed copy
for only $5

George Stanley on VENUS & APOLLO

"Cath Morris's poems are dramatic, elegiac visions of the deeper implications of what we are doing as humans: the loss of personhood to technology, the fate of innocent beings before reason and power."

Launch w/ Jamie Reid launching homages

Thursday January 22
cafe Montmartre
4362 Main Street

News: Mesmerizing New Spoken Word Documentary Available

2009-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

African American Filmmaker Bob Bryan has proudly unveiled his seventh powerful installment in his multi award-winning Documentary Series entitled GV7 RANDOM URBAN STATIC: The Iridescent Equations of SPOKEN WORD. He is releasing two (2) versions:

An Unofficially Rated G Version for General Audiences, Schools and Libraries and the Original Unedited Version for those who do not mind some “raw street vernacular.” Both versions will have a Running time of 2 hours.

Released under his BRYAN WORLD PRODUCTIONS indie label, GV7 returns to the enigmatic world of Poetry. This time around he retrieves the perspectives of fifteen (15) uniquely talented poets involved in the world of SPOKEN WORD. From Grand Slam Champions to Open-Mic Veterans, GV7 crosses all philosophical, racial, and social lines becoming the quintinessial SPOKEN WORD documentary.

Bob Bryans’ last documentary GV6 THE ODYSSEY explored the point of views of 31 contemporary Literary Page Poets and de facto became Americas' Number # 1 Indie Produced Poetry Documentary. Bob is very, very confident that poetic magic will strike again with GV7 his brand new feature-length foray into the uncompromising world of SPOKEN WORD.

"GV6 THE ODYSSEY deals with those Poets who write words for the page, while GV7 RANDOM URBAN STATIC probes the reality of those Poets that write for the stage. SPOKEN WORD has really connected with today’s’ youth, primarily because the poetic artform speaks intimately to their love for performance art, suppressed passion, subjective psycho / social issues and cultural attitudes concerning the world in which they live. Poetry is an invaluable tool that helps them to unravel, clarify, articulate & document their experiences. Of course, Hip-hop has allot to do with the flavoring of this SPOKEN WORD communication paradigm.”

“I was thrilled to be able to get the Poets to decode and discuss their intimate hopes & desires, as well as their deep personal disappointments and frustrations with the current state of hip-hop. Not all the poets shared a deep abiding love for hip-hop in its current incarnation. Many of the Poets feel that Hip-hop has within its grasp the potential to be a positive catalyst for massive personal & social change. They feel unfortunately that its potential has been severely underdeveloped and in some cases perversely denigrated by some of its commercial practitioners.”

“But at the same time other poets in GV7 openly discuss issues of date-rape, the courage to be an artist, the psychological repression of women, How Hip-hop can help or Hurt, HIV-AIDS & homosexuality, image vs. reality, obsessions, race-consciousness, anorexia, self-love, the high-jacking of black men’s masculinity & vunerability, disappointment with God, insanity, self-loathing, inspiration and salvation. Noone can say these poets tread lightly or try to avoid issues that we all, in some way or another grapple with. It's what makes this expression so relative, ” says Filmmaker Bob Bryan.

Sure, the dialogue can be ruff, confrontational and passionate; but their intentions are real. These artists are desperate to get through to you!

“Your voice is your power; don’t ever let anyone take away your voice.”

--Two Time Grand Slam Champion Bridget Gray

“If you don’t cut deep…you don’t make a difference.”

--Mollie Angelheart, Co - Los Angeles Slam Champion

“What you say, may just save my life.”

--Two Time Grand Slam Champion Poet Sekou (tha misfit)

It is a commitment with vast transformational possibilities & connection between the poet, the audience, and the unrealized future.

“Black men’s strength & redemption lies in their vulnerability.”

Tim’m. T. West, Poet, Author, Educator

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GV AWARDS & FESTIVALS

Film Festivals:
JEONJU KOREAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL; Woodstock Film Festival; ALWAYS INDEPENDENT FILMS; SilverLake Film Festival; SOUTHERN STORIES FOUNDATION; Dead Center Film Festival; Cinequest - San Jose State Univ. 6th Visual Arts & Film Fest; Mill Valley Film Festival; Sinking Creek Film/Video Festival; Amascultura Film Festival-SPAIN; Urban Literary Film Festival; Central Florida Film / Video Festival; The Documentary and
Experimental Film Series; Harvard University (Spitting Image Film & Video Festival); San Franscisco Independent Film Festival (Digital Underground); Underground Film Festival

Awards & Nominations:
National Educational Media Network, WINNER, Gold Apple Award; Council of International Non-Theatrical Events, WINNER, Golden Eagle Award; WINNER, Accolade Competition, Award of Excellence; 2003 Urban Independent Music Awards, WINNER, Best Documentary; Honolulu Underground Film Festival, WINNER, Best Documentary; AVC Regional CINDY, WINNER, Silver CINDY Award; The Communicator Awards, WINNER, Award of Distinction; Texas A&M Film Festival, WINNER, Audience Choice for Documentary; The Freaky Film Festival, WINNER, Best Documentary; Colorlab Award, WINNER, Outstanding Documentary; 2003 Urban Independent Music Awards, WINNER, Soundtrack of the Year; Videographer Awards 2001, WINNER, Videographer Award; Accolade Competition, Art Instruction Award WINNER, Chicago Film Festival, WINNER, Silver Award; Telluride Indiefest, WINNER, Best Documentary Award

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GV7 CONTACT INFO

Bob Bryan, c/o Bryan World Productions. LLC.
PO Box 74033

Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tel: 323-856-9256

Fax: 323-856-0855
website: www.graffitiverite.com
email: bryworld@aol.com

GV7 RANDOM URBAN STATIC PRESS RELEASE

GV1 Video Reviews http://graffitiverite.com/GV_Video_Reviews.htm

GV2 Video Reviews http://graffitiverite.com/GV2_Reviewmenu.htm

GV3 Video Reviews http://graffitiverite.com/GV3_PR.htm

GV4 Video Reviews http://graffitiverite.com/GV4MovieReviews.htm

GV5 Video Reviews http://graffitiverite.com/GV5_PressRelease.htm

GV6 Video Reviews http://graffitiverite.com/GV6FILMREVIEWS.html

GV7 Film Review http://graffitiverite.com/GV7FILMREVIEWS.html

Brief Synopsis of GV1-GV7 DVDs

GV Series Product Info pdf

Artists that Appear in GV7

GRAFFITI VERITE'S - PUBLIC & ACADEMIC LIBRARIES (PARTIAL LISTING)

DVD Film Reviewers wanting to review GV7 should contact Loida: bryworld@aol.com

Video Clips of GV7 can be found on Youtube (More From Bryanworld)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j_a5TF1iBI

GV6 Teaser Trailer:

http://zipidee.com/zipidPreview.aspx?vid=5d23f447-2bb4-46d5-9604-cc7cba7d01c5

GV7 Teaser Trailer:

http://www.zipidee.com/profile.aspx?userid=9fe826f5-0959-48fd-a5f1-f13b0be47412

To Book GV7 for Special Screenings or Festivals please contact Loida at 323/856-9256 or bryworld@aol.com

This communications is not Spam. The purpose of this email is to provide poets, lovers of poetry and written language professionals working in this area of interest with updated info relative to their professions and passions. If you've received this email in error, please forgive us; we mean no harm. We come in education and peace!

Multi Award-Winning Filmmaker Bob Bryans' latest Documentary
GV7 RANDOM URBAN STATIC
is now Available for purchase.
Please go to http://graffitiverite.com/GV1-GV7SYNOPSIS.html

From Wall Street to Main Street and everywhere in between, stay up-to-date with the latest news.

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January 21 - Bill McNamara

2009-01-21T23:04:00.000-08:00

This show begs to be a great one as we are joined by master storyteller Bill McNamara, host of Cafe Montmartre's long running Thundering Word (formerly hosted by the late, great T Paul St. Marie).

I'm sure he'll have us all in stitches!

Bill McNamara first fell into Spoken Word rather late in life, in 2005 when a good friend named Wanda Nowicki read about a thing in the paper called "Story Slam" and urged him to go. Remember that name. Wanda. It took her a while to convince him but he finally went.
He was impressed with what he saw. He went back the next time and entered, taking first prize. He won the next one and the next as well. Then the year end finals came up and he became Vancouver's "Story Slam Champion" from 2005 to 2006.
That led to perfomances at The Festival of Spoken Word, The Vancouver Folk Fest, The 15th Annual Festival of Storytelling, In the House, Lafflines and he also had the great honor of providing 'after hours' entertainment for 72 of the finest poets in the world at the International World Poetry Slam finals when they were held in Vancouver! At that event he was priviliged to perform on the same stage as Jack McCarthy.
During this time Bill also spent a lot of time at various open mics around town honing his skills and trying new material. He was greatly encouraged Darleen Carty of the sorely missed Behind the Scenes and by T-Paul Ste. Marie who was the originator and host of Vancouver's finest Open Mic, Thundering Word. Remember that name. T-Paul.
At the same time, the wonderful Magpie Ullysses talked Bill into going to Poetry Slam. Never having been a big fan of poetry he was resistant to earlier suggestions of this event, but Magpie made it sound intriguing. He went and was immediately hooked. It wasn't long before he was on stage there and tho' he admits that there are many, many poets he cannot hope to hold a candle to in this city, he does have the distinction of being Vancouver's oldest Slam poet.
In the meantime, the host of Thundering Word passed away, May 27th, 2007 at the young age of 41. Yes, T-Paul was gone and so was Thundering Word. It lay dormant for a few months until Bill began asking around town if anyone would mind if he took a shot at reviving it. He knew there was no one who could hope to fill the very large shoes of T-Paul so he enlisted his old friend Wanda Nowicki to help with the hosting duties.
They re-launched TW to great success and for the last few years it has been going strong and getting better with each show. It goes every 1st, 3rd and, if there is one, 5th Sunday each month. They have had some incredible people feature there from all over the world and the Open Mic segment is a truly Open open mic. They have Music, Comedy, Poetry and more. You never know what you'll get at Thundering Word but one thing is for certain. It's always interesting! Bill continues to do host Thundering Word, attend Poetry Slam, Story Slam and various things that come along and is always interested in expanding his list of experiences.

Julie Peters

2009-01-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

Julie Peters has been writing poetry since her angsty early adolescence, but only began performing it in the summer of 2008. Since then, she has won first place at the Vancouver Poetry Slam, competed in the Women's Invitational Poetry Slam, and featured at various poetry events in Vancouver. She also has a radio show devoted to Canadian writing called AudioText on CITR, UBC's community radio station, and writes freelance for several publications. She also has a Master's degree in English Literature from McGill, and several academic publications. She's slightly less angsty now than she was in her early adolescence.

Tone Indbryn

2009-01-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

Tone Indbryn is a songwriter who creates pieces which reach forward from a varied blend of contemporary and folk influences resulting in a style that is both traditional and current. She has been performing for audiences for the past thirteen years on and off while taking time for her son and education. She has produced two cd's with one of her pieces used in the award winning independent film "the Gutter Diaries" written and directed by Josh Witall. She was part of Best of Vancouver for her children's music classes in Vancouver magazine and was in the top five finalists for the first annual Vancouver Folk Slam. Some of her festival performances include Fearless Festival 08, Celtic Fest 06/07 which she co-wrote and performed "Brigid and her Magical Cauldron, Mayworks 05 which she co produced a Mothers Day Cabaret. Her radio appearances include CITR and Co-op Radio. Tone is both entertaining and engaging in live settings, combining refreshing on stage banter with some lyrical and vocal abilities to create a room vibe that draws her audiences to her performances. Utilizing an honest approach to songwriting that everyone can identify with, Tone's original repertoire moves form emotional delicacy to uninhibited seething anger, while keeping personal with her well tempered sense of humor. She has performed in Vancouver for many different events some of which include The Railway Club Connect night with Tamra Nile, featured at The Cottage Bistro, Montmartre Cafe, The Railway Club, The Rockwood House in Sechelt and The Purple Crab. She hosted The Vancouver Folk Slam and The Purple Crab open stage. She has done extensive work with children and families in the Vancouver area and has been part of Moon Festival, and Public Dreams creating large scale instillations with children.Tone Indbryn writes honest music,which takes the listener on an emotional train trip through the soul.

Rowan Lipkovits

2009-01-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

We were very fortunate to have fellow Co-op personality (Accordian Noir ~ Fridays at 9;30pm) and host of the 57 Varieties Open Stage, Rowan Lipkovits (seen here in 2007 at RC's annual Christmas shindig) drop by to pull a ton of idiosyncratic craziness out of his beard. He brought with us some Bukowski, Maggie Estep, and Rowan's own band The Creaking Planks. A big thanks to Rowan for coming out on very short notice and definately not disappointing.
Be sure to check out Accordian Noir and hear all the fun stuff he's up to.

http://accordionnoir.org/

Passages: Billy Little October 14, 1943 - January 1, 2009

2009-01-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

I've just received this email from fellow poet Jamie Reid which I felt compelled to share with you.

Our dear comrade and brother poet, Billy Little, slipped away from this life at about 5 AM on New Years Day. It almost seems to me as if he were imitating one of his idols, dada hero Tristan Tzara, who died on Christmas Day in 1963. For several days he had been telling his friends that each day might be his last, but he hung on and continued to breathe one day after another for several days, until finally he lost the ability to speak and passed away. Billy spent his last days on his beloved Hornby Island, surrounded by his friends.

He had been resigned to this final result since hearing from his doctors last January that the abdominal cancer through which he had endured several rounds of chemotherapy and surgery would finally take his life in a matter of months rather than years. He lived the months that were left to him with great courage and good humour, sometimes in tears, he told me once, that he should have to leave the world, the life and the people that he loved with such passion and devotion. The people at his bedside near the end, his son Matt Little, Gordon Payne and his caregiver, Colleen Work, confirmed that through his last hours, though he could not speak, he was clearly smiling.

Billy’s son, Matt, will be inviting friends to the Hornby Island ball park on Sunday, January 4. In commemoration of Billy’s life-long devoted attachment to books and ideas, Matt will be handing out items from Billy’s book collection.

Further notice of an expanded memorial event will be posted later.

Typically, Billy left his life with a jest, a protest, leaving behind his own obituary:

obituary

after decades of passion, dedication to world peace and justice, powerful frindships, recognition, being loved undeservedly by extraordinary women, a close and powerful relationship with a strong, handsome, capable, thoughtful son Matt, a never ending stream of amusing ideas, affections shared with a wide range of creative men and women, a long residence in the paradisical landscape of hornby island, sucess after sucess in the book trade, fabulous meals, unmeasurable inebriation, dancing beyond exhaustion, satori after satori,
billy little regrets he's unable to schmooze today.
in lieu of flowers please send a humongous donation to the war resisters league.

I'd like my tombstone to read:

billy little
poet
hydro is too expensive

but I'd like my mortal remains to be set adrift on a flaming raft off chrome island

December 31 - Wax Poetic's Favorite Recordings of 2008

2008-12-31T10:02:00.000-08:00

This year we step away from tradition and bring you a show packed with spoken word cherry-picked from our expansive personal spoken word libraries.
The weather here in Vancouver has been especially inclimate and we could not, in good conscience, ask a murder of poets to brave the elements without being able to compensate them for their services.
So this year we get to "wax poetic" about the past year, and give you the heads up on what's up for the new year, spoken word-wise in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Poetry we'll be featuring work from the brand-new CD from AURAL HEATHER called "Princess Nut". The project is Heather Haley, Roderick Shoolbraid (shown above) and 'a sublime fusion of song and spoken word.' Shoolbraid is a dazzling guitarist, composer, sound designer and DJ. Haley is a maverick; a poet, singer, author and media artist often found pushing boundaries and always on the vanguard. 'A Canadian national treasure,' Haley started writing verse in high school influenced by poets like bp Nichol, ee cummings and Susan Musgrave.
Critics call the CD: 'brawny, uncompromising language from a voice that demands to be reckoned with'.
Find out more about the CD and Aural Heather here at: http://www.heatherhaley.com/aural_heather and tune in this Wednesday to hear our favorite track from the CD as well as mucho spoken word for your listening pleasure.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

2008-12-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

We're making Christmas Eve that much more special with an East Van holiday tradition, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", performed live in studio by the larger-than-life Angus Adair AKA The Svelte Ms. Spelt.

Snow Day. No Show

2008-12-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

Starting Tuesday night, Vancouver got a heavy dump of snow and so, as beautiful as it was, it caused a lot of havock to those who needed to travel.
My day was a series of cancelations and re-scheduling. As much as we all enjoy doing the show, there are days when it has to fall by the wayside. It came down to just me agreeing to go in and do the broadcast, but unfortunately, my friend Kali and her brother Frank, who is running a temporary bookstore on the Drive, Ziggy Books (where i work one or two days a week), was having a hard time getting back to the store from her home in Richmond so it made more sense to help my friend make some money - and me too! - by keeping her business open.

I managed to make it a day that I didn't have to leave the Drive at all. I went home after they left and had a bit of time to myself before heading back into the store for a reading by the very talented poet Goh Poh Seng, his courageously honest son Kagan Goh, and the liltingly beautiful Marni Norwich, who recently launched her wonderful book of poetry called Wildflowers On My Doorstep.
Here are some pics from that event (with video to come). My camera ran out of juice so I couldn't get much video. Missed the venerable Mr. Goh's reading completely.

Our guest had similar problems getting down to our show anyway, so I made an executive decision to cancel the show. The upside to all this is that I do have a sampling of the guest we never had, Jocelyne Robinson, an Algonquin artist, reading a piece of her work. This was taken at Ziggys' on Sunday, December 14. Also in the video was Zophia Kiefer, an amazing woman who fell dramatically from wealth and glamour to the point where she ended up living in the illegal tent city down by Science World.

I'll end this post with an excerpt from a poem Marni Norwich included in her book:

from
Poh Seng and I

I tell him I write poetry
because it's short;
it fits in the small crevices
between rent and bills.
I hope to write a book, someday,
have wealth enough to glide, like a bird
on Spirit's wing.

Poe Seng understands the dilemma of the artist's life;
he wrote one page a day for thirty-five years
while serving as a doctor in Singapore.
He works in words for full days now,
parlays love into tight black scrawl.

We meet over keyboard and water tumblers,
in a room thousands of miles from where either of us began.
We dance in the liminal space of story;
History surrounding us
like gentle rain.

Diane Laloge Launches "I Am A War" @ Yaletown Gallery

2008-12-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

With Michelle A. Richard

Cohost Diane Laloge launched her new book, "I Am A War" to a receptive audience at the Yaletown this summer. Joining her was the lovely and talented Michelle A. Richard and the equally spellbinding Peggy Wilson to offer up some musical entertainment.

December 10 - Angus Mcleod

2008-12-09T00:52:00.000-08:00

From Wax Poetic

This week's we take a bit of a detour from poetry and delve into Sci-Fi with our guest, Angus McLeod, who will be launching his released ebook - 2004 Daemon's Revenge - on Thursday, December 11 at A Small World Shop & Gallery.
See the press release here >>>

Emily Kendy

2008-12-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

Part-time writer, full-time critic. Emily is a freelance writer and Music Editor of punk and metal magazine, Absolute Underground. She lives in Vancouver with no cats. Check out Emily's website at: www.e mily kendy.co m

She read from her new novel, What She Left Behind, about punk rock life in the Downtown Eastside.
Here's a little video of some of it:

Speaking of...
I left my camera in the studio and the boys from the next show, No Apologies Necessary, got their hands on it.

Too funny!

Michelle A. Richard

2008-07-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

This show was double-bonus day for me having Diane back in the studio after her trip up North, and Michelle Richard, a marvelous and genuinely charming Francophone singer/songwriter who launched her CD at Timbre Restaurant on Commercial Drive on July 24th.

Randy lost out and took the afternoon off.

Michelle is making waves lately with her award-winning performances and her participation in the 2nd Annual DTES Fearless Festival as production coordinator for the day.

Check her out at her Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/michellerichardsings
You can also see some fun video footage there I shot of Michelle singing at the Blues on White
in Edmonton, with Russell Jackson, a Vancouver Blues man on tour with Selwynn Cooper. This happened when we were on tour with Theatre In The Raw. Jackson actually made an appearance at her launch.

Call For Spoken Word Poetry Submissions

2008-07-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7/2/2008

The Word On the Street Festival invites poets to read their work at
The
Poet's Corner,
Library Square, on Sunday, September 28, 2008.
Poets will be given a 7minute spot to perform in, between the hours of 12:00pm and
5:00pm.

Please send submissions to:
Poet's Corner c/o
442 Cardiff Way
Port Moody V3H 3T1
Include a SASE if you wish your material to be returned. Artists are also strongly encouraged to send a CD of their performance.
Or… via email at

rcarcee@yahoo.ca with a link to online recordings and/or videos of your work.

Deadline for entry is August 29, 2008*

* See us at the Wax Poetic/Coop Radio table at Summer Dreams (We’ll take submissions there too!)

Help us promote literacy and celebrate Canadian literary arts at Library
Square, downtown Vancouver.

The Word On The Street is an annual one-day festival celebrating literacy
and the written arts. Held in four cities across Canada simultaneously -
Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax - The Word On The Street
celebrates reading and writing with free exhibits, performances, readings
and hands-on activities every September.

Annually, Vancouver's The Word On The Street attracts tens of thousands of

visitors, and hundreds of participating exhibitors, authors, and performers
to Library Square for literary readings, cookbook demonstrations, music,
contests, panel discussions and much more.

We invite you to join us and become part of Vancouver's favorite annual
celebration of words and reading.
For more information, or to volunteer with organizing the Poet’s Corner, please call us at (604) 788-8340 or email srduncan@shaw.ca

http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/vancouver.php

Poetry News: The House Where Al Purdy Lived Is On The Block

2008-07-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

You can find his widow, Eurithe, on the roof, caring for the Eastern Ontario cabin in which her husband morphed from tortured writer to poetic icon, and where fellow wordsmiths Laurence and Ondaatje once sought sanctuary. But at 84, Eurithe knows the writing's on the wall. Patrick White reports from Ameliasburgh, Ont., on the almost-certain demolition of a Canadian treasure...

Read the full Globe and Mail story here>>

Clint "Father Goose" Wilson

2008-07-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Our guest on Wednesday at 2pm CFRO 102.7fm is Clint "Father Goose" Wilson. Clint calls himself...

... an otherworldly alien who was left here by the mother ship some 37 years ago. As he took the form of a man-child and learned the ways of the Earthlings he quickly realized that his two fortes were, rhyming and making people laugh. But beware, sometimes he gets tired of making them laugh and then simply goes into shocker mode and makes them, cry, scream, go yoik?, or simply run off towards the horizon with their eyes and ears bleeding, never to be seen again.

When not writing humorous poetry, Father Goose can be found writing sci-fi and fantasy, writing automotive magazine articles, selling used auto parts at his wrecking business in Chilliwack, carving leather art for motorcycle seats, saddlebags and the like (or poetry championship belts), pinstriping and engraving, playing bass or drums in several different combos, or having fun with his three half-breed children... yes, Father Goose mated with an Earth girl and his sensible yet hilarious kids are the crossbred result. Check out the Goose at an open mic event near you!

Warren Dean Fulton

2008-07-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

WARREN DEAN FULTON has been performing, publishing, & promoting poetry since the early 90ʼs. He has performed his words as a feature & at open mics in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton, San Francisco, New York, & even New Westminster.
He has published now & then in little lit mags in Canada, the US, & the UK. he has published thru his micro poetry press Pooka Press the likes of GG award winners; George Bowering, Stephanie Bolster, John Pass, Patrick Lane & other such well known poets as, Robert Creeley, Susan Musgrave, Heather Haley, rob mclennan, Kate Braid, bill bissett, Marilyn Bowering, John B. Lee, jwcurry, Amanda Earl, Jeffrey Mackie, Todd Swift, Joe Blades, Shannon Rayne, Faust MacKenzie, the Svelt Ms Spelt, RC Weslowski, & SR Duncan, as well as dozens of others.
In addition to the readings & publishing, Warren has also made short videopoems, & literary (poetry) documentary films/videos, one short on THUNDERING WORD HEARD & the late T.Paul Ste. Marie, which played in The Hawaii International Film Festival in 2002.

Here are some links to some of those other poets:

Robert Creeley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Creeley

George Bowering

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bowering

Stephanie Bolster

http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/bolster/index.htm

John Pass

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pass

Patrick Lane

http://www.patricklane.ca/

bill bissett

http://www.billbissett.com/

Susan Musgrave

http://www.susanmusgrave.com/

jwcurry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jwcurry

rob mclennan

http://www.robmclennan.blogspot.com/

Heather Haley

http://www.heatherhaley.com/

We Need An Archivist - No Experience Necessary

2008-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Our show, like the other shows on Coop, is done on a volunteer basis. I'm very excited about how the blog has been looking, but it is the result of a couple of hours work a week on my part, on top of all the other little jobs I have on my plate. I'm looking for someone who is interested in learning how to work with mp3, video, image and audio files, edit them, then upload them to www.poetryradio.blogspot.com on a weekly basis.
The position requires access to a fairly up-to-date computer system and high speed internet. It can be done from home at anytime. Or you can make arrangements to come into the station and use the computer here.
At first it might take about 3 - 4 hrs a week to learn what to do, but once you get the basics down you can reasonably do the job in less than 2 hrs.
All training and software (Adobe Photoshop, Blogger, Sound Forge) is provided and we'll even throw in a membership to Coop radio.
This is a great opportunity to learn new skills and sharpen the ones you already have - not to mention perform an important service to the Vancouver Spoken Word community!
You can also join us on air on Wednesdays and be part of the on-air experience, too.

For more information, feel free to contact me at srduncan@shaw.ca or give me a call at 604-788-8340.

Diane Tucker

2008-04-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

Diane Tucker was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she got a B.F.A. from the University of B.C. in 1987. Her poetry appears regularly in journals in Canada and abroad. She works as an English tutor and freelance editor. Diane lives in Burnaby, BC with her husband, her teenage daughter and son and Doxa the spotty dog.

Awards
The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, finalist, 1997

Selected Publications
God on His Haunches. (Nightwood Editions, 1996)
Bright Scarves of Hours (Palimpsest Press, 2007) ISBN: 0-9733952-7-3

Selected Anthologies
Line by Line (Ekstasis Editions Anthology, 2002) ISBN 1-896860-50-8
from this new world (Ten Dollar Words Publishing, 2003)
String to Bow (Leaf Press, 2005)
In Our Own Words VII (MW Enterprises, 2007)

Books in Print
Tucker, Diane
God on His Haunches. Nightwood Editions, 1996. ISBN: 0-88971-163-1
Bright Scarves of Hours (Palimpsest Press, 2007) ISBN: 0-9733952-7-3, $18.00

Brian M. Nelson

2008-03-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Our guest this Wednesday will be Brian Nelson, poet and performance artist.

Check out his work and upcoming shows at www.creativebuzzevents.blogspot.com

Maxine Gadd

2008-03-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Maxine Gadd, way back when. Photo Elaine Briere.

Our guest was long time Vancouver Poet, Maxine Gadd. I came across a great article on the Tyee website by Grant Shilling that features a quote from New Star Publisher Rolf Maurer about labelling Maxine's poetry:

I like her humour, and the fact that her poetic experiments, the arrangement of text on the page, her made-up words and her play with sounds (of words) were all related to something beyond just poetics: they were related to her desire to document, describe, write about her world in a way that might be recognizable by others.

"Maxine's work represents a poetic tradition that tends to be (subtly) disparaged, both by the more conservative lyric poets who until quite recently dominated the writing about Canadian poetry as well as the prize lists (and juries), but also by the more theoretically inclined, Euro-American-influenced poets that include the motorcycle gang also known as the Kootenay School of Writing, which is where my own tastes were forged.

"'Hippie poet.' 'Street/urban poet.' She's actually a damned good poet, whose 'hippie,' 'gritty urban' poems have actually been influenced by a very broad range of writers. Maxine, I discovered not just from her writing but her attendance at many readings over the years and her genuine interest in all kinds of other writers, including many not very much like her at all, allowed a lot of influences in. Her style is unmistakably her own, but her wide reading has given her the licence, or courage or madness or whatever, to push what she's doing, so that her work tends to stretch whatever category she's working in."

Read the whole Tyee article here...

Audio from the show to follow.