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This event is part of the Edmonton Poetry Festival and will take place on Friday, April 26, 2013 6 pm – 9 pm at Stanley Milner Library. If you want to participate competitively or looking for a stage to showcase your poetry please contact us at 780-975-5980 or email us at youth@edmonton.ca!
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THE APPENDIX AVENGERS
From the first page, the Appendix Avengers were headed to a weighty and pressured life of upholding all that had come before them. Purposefully hidden beneath a tomb of words and bound by a border of razor sharp page edges designed to paper cut all those who dared attempt their jail break, they paused only to plan their escape. Armed with pens and an ever living commitment to creation and community, Janice Lee and Lindsay Jack wrote their way out from the inside and escaped their bindings. Currently they are reported to be time travelling across Western Canada reclaiming space by fighting the textbook oppressive forces of their arch enemy, Dic Tionary and categorically canonical side kick, Encyclo Pedia. Fighting for justice, unmasked and pulling no punches, they fight and love as the Appendixed, the most likely of superheroes.
Lindsay Jack
Descended from a long line of secret keepers and gossip mongers, Lindsay Jack is a storyteller whose work seeks to explore the dynamic tensions that we are all called to embody throughout our lives. A rich and complex poet, at times sorrowful and at times powerfully joyous, her work calls the audience forth to be critical and to engage with the world around them. Lindsay Jack has appeared as a special guest on the TVO network television show, Relief. She has also performed as an opener for HBO star and internationally acclaimed poet Carlos Andres Gomez. Recently crowned Grand Slam Champion of Kitchener-Waterloo, Lindsay Jack is looking forward to the upcoming release of her new spoken word album. lindsayjackkw.wordpress.com
Janice Lee is a poet and musician rooted in Kitchener, Ontario. Her art engages in conversations about the marginalization of racialized people, the aggressive power dynamics of patriarchy, and how we can push capitalist systems out of our lives. She wants to affirm life, build relationships and community through art, encourage people to love their bodies, eat lots of garlic and ride bikes. She most enjoys initiating the communal relief of laughing together, openly, with exuberance! Janice is a member of the Flying V’s, Kitchener-Waterloo’s first spoken word team and is a co-founder and organizer of the KW Poetry Slam. She writes and performs folk/roots/soul music with her band Janice Lee and the Free Radicals, has opened for Juno award winners Fred Penner and Amanda Martinez, wrote and co-composed a full length musical called Rooted, and co-wrote and acted in the play The Fear Project in the MT (Multicultural Theatre) Space’s IMPACT International Theatre Festival 2011. She is a 2012 winner of a Leading Edge Waterloo Region Arts Award. Follow her at janicejolee.ca and Twitter@JaniceJoLee
Janice Lee “Mon Cher Petit Croissant” Canadian Festival of Spoken Word Semifinals 2012
Lindsay Jack “School Poem!” Canadian Festival of Spoken Word Prelims 2012
Tuesday April 23, 2013
Doors 7pm, event 8pm
Metro Cinema
8712 – 109 Street
Edmonton, AB
$10.00
Be part of the most exciting slam poetry event of the year, when Edmonton’s 12 top poets compete to represent Edmonton at the national Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. Featuring the one and only CR Avery!
The Breath in Poetry Collective teams up with the Edmonton Poetry Festival once again to present the final competition that will choose the Edmonton 2013 slam team. The team will go on to represent the city at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (CFSW), in Montreal, in October, 2013.
All admission proceeds go to supporting the Edmonton 2013 Slam Team.
Hosted by Titilope Sonuga.
CR AVERY
Outlaw Hip-Hop Harmonica Player
Beatbox Poet
Punk Piano Player
String Quartet Raconteur
Rock & Roll Matador
Playwright
Whether performing to thousands at the Royal Albert Hall or the lucky few who made it inside the packed past capacity speakeasy, C.R. Avery is a unique, raw and dynamic performer. His genius lies in many genres – blues, hip-hop, spoken word and rock & roll. He is a one-man band, but one for this generation; with the rare ability to sing poetic verse while beatboxing simultaneously while pounding the piano and adding harmonica like a plot twist. A multi-talented front man for his Legal Tender String Quartet; a crazed lead singer/harp player for his rock & roll band The Special Interest Group; a lyrical dynamo & the musical backbone of the spoken word trio Tons of Fun University.
From musical beginnings in his late teens, C.R. Avery has recorded over fifteen albums as well as writing & directing six hip-hop operas, which were mounted and performed from New York’s Bowery to L.A.’s South Central. He has toured throughout Canada (including almost every major folk festival) the USA and Europe (headlining or opening for Billy Bragg, Buck 65, and Sage Francis) and garnered the attention of music peers the likes of Tom Waits (“…he’s blowin’ my mind”); blues harp trail blazer Charlie Musselwhite (“…no one plays harmonica like him… no one…”); and folk legend Utah Phillips (“…raw talent”).
His incredible live performances have been described as Bob Dylan in the body of Iggy Pop; colliding with Little Walter, the Beastie Boys and Allen Ginsberg. Every show is all or nothing and his fearless approach to all genres of music both on stage and in the studio proves the longevity of this talented, astonishing creator has so much more to come.
For more information – http://www.cravery.com
April 16th – Brad Morden
Brad Morden is an Ottawa based Poet/Musician often seen walking the streets of the nations capital ukulele in hand, poem on the tips of his tongue…
http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Brad-Morden
The Rouge Poetry Slam continues! Tuesday March 26th. Doors @ 8pm, slam starts at 8:30pm. $5 Cover. Featuring Chris Gilpin!
Poets, this is your second last chance to qualify for finals!
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ABOUT THE SLAM:
Never been to a poetry slam? Learn more here: http://breathinpoetry.wordpress.com/slamrules/
Haven’t slammed yet this season? It’s not too late! Each poet must slam a minimum of TWO times in the Rouge Poetry Slam series for a chance to qualify for the Slam Finals on April 23rd. Each slam will have 6 poets, with 3 rounds of 3-minute poems. Sign up at the door to compete.
Remaining slam dates til finals:
April 9
* * *
ABOUT CHRIS GILPIN
Chris is a writer, 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.
At the 2012 Vancouver International Poetry Festival, Chris won the Nerd Slam and the Erotica Slam. He is also a two-time member of the Vancouver Poetry Slam Team (2008 & 2009), the champion of Vancouver’s 2008 Haiku Death Match, finalist in the 2010 Write Bloody Press manuscript competition, winner of the Vancouver’s 2009 CBC Poetry Face-off, and the 2011 Vancouver Individual Poetry Slam Champion
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, PRISM international, CV2, Poetry is Dead, Vancouver Review, The Canadian Review of Literature in Performance, and many others. He performs as part of the interactive multimedia clown rock supergroup Awesome Face.
Chris graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.A. Film Studies. His graduating film, “Remembrance Dance”, was an official selection of the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, and showed at other film festivals around the world.
Chris has toured as a spoken word poet throughout Canada, and the northwestern United States, and performed in schools all over Vancouver’s Lower Mainland.
What reviewers and other poets are saying:
“It’s extremely difficult to get on stage and be funny, as many failed comedians can attest, and trying to do so through the lens of poetry can be even more challenging. Chris rose to that challenge and exceeded my expectations by a considerable margin. He wasn’t afraid to poke fun in his own direction (that of a spoken-word artist) and everything he approached was presented in a clever and engaging way.” – State of Affairs
“Chris Gilpin is one of the funniest poets I’ve ever had the pleasure to see and hear. He has very quickly become one of my favorite humorists. His ability to bring peace and unity throughout the world will also bring the continents together. Our return to Pangaea is imminent, but until then, please enjoy Chris’ work with a fine snack and/or loved one” –Mike McGee
“For a white guy, he’s actually pretty cool.” – Scruffmouth
“Chris writes great stuff, none of it easy or sentimental, all of it unique and thought provoking. Plus, he’s a killer performer and that nice kind of strange where you come away from his performances thankful that he doesn’t have children, but only in a good way.” – Brendan McLeod
More about Chris: http://www.chrisgilpin.com/
Come watch Solidarity Week Poets drop experiences from the soul that help us grow in the decolonizing process.
Doors at 8pm, show at 8:30pm.
Co-hosted by Solidarity Week & the Breath in Poetry Collective.
This event is part of the March 2013 Solidarity Week Event Schedule. For more information on Solidarity Week events, please visit: www.solidarityweek.wordpress.com
Hi Family!
It’s been a pretty awesome slam season so far. Below are the current rankings. This is a friendly reminder that poets are required to slam at least TWICE to qualify for finals. There are only TWO more chances to slam on March 26 and April 9.
If you are a poet and are interested in being on the 2013 Edmonton Slam Team, get your slams in!
| Poet | Ranking | # of Slams |
| Rhianna | 16 | 3 |
| Marlon | 16 | 2 |
| Giselle | 16 | 2 |
| Alex | 10 | 1 |
| Ahmed | 10 | 1 |
| Jan | 6 | 2 |
| Hannah | 6 | 1 |
| Adam | 3 | 2 |
| Anthony | 3 | 1 |
| Theresa | 3 | 1 |
| Shima | - | 2 |
| Rick | - | 1 |
| Darren | - | 1 |
| Rachael | - | 1 |
| Fraser | - | 1 |
| Rick R | - | 1 |
| Jacob | - | 1 |
| Jan | - | 1 |
| Kaz | - | 1 |
| Corrine | - | 1 |
| Liz | - | 1 |
The Rouge Poetry Slam continues! Tuesday March 12th. Doors @ 8pm. $5 Cover.
FEATURING MEDGINE MATHURIN! VANCOUVER SEND-OFF!
Medgine Mathurin is heading to Vancouver to represent Breath-in Poetry at the 2013 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam. She’ll be competing against 40 of the best poets from across the country. Come out on March 12th, to help her fundraise, and send her off with some Edmonton love!
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ABOUT THE SLAM:
Never been to a poetry slam? Learn more here: http://breathinpoetry.wordpress.com/slamrules/
Haven’t slammed yet this season? It’s not too late! Each poet must slam a minimum of TWO times in the Rouge Poetry Slam series for a chance to qualify for the Slam Finals on April 23rd. Each slam will have 6 poets, with 3 rounds of 3-minute poems. Sign up at the door to compete.
Remaining slam dates til finals:
March 12, March 26, April 9
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ABOUT MEDGINE:
Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Medgine spent her teenage years in Calgary and now calls Edmonton her third home. Her story is infused with English, French & Créole. Having recently graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor in Biological Science, she finds joy and freedom in poetry and creative writing. With 3 years of writing under her pen, she has gotten the opportunity to perform in various cities across Canada including Calgary, Toronto, recently in Saskatoon as a member of the Edmonton Slam Team at the 2012 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. This April, she will be representing Edmonton at the 2013 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam competition (CIPS) in Vancouver.
MORE ABOUT THE CIPS: http://versesfestival.ca/wp/about/poetry-slam/
Featuring Palestinian-American poet Remi Kanazi
Tuesday, March 5 (8:30 – 11:00 pm)
Rouge Lounge
10111-117 Street
Join us at Rouge Lounge for an annual night of spoken word and performance poetry relating the liberation struggle of the Palestinian people. This night will leave you inspired to share the stories of struggle with others and to be part of the growing movement against the injustice of apartheid in Palestine.
The evening will feature a set of local poets performing original works of poetry, as well as readings in both Arabic and English of works by Palestinian poets. After the break Palestinian-American poet Remi Kanazi will perform a set of spoken word.
If you are interested in performing during the first set, please email Sara at shussein07@gmail.com.
Presented by the Palestine Solidarity Network and the Breath in Poetry Collective as part of the Fifth Annual Edmonton Israeli Apartheid Week, March 4 – 8, 2013. For a full list of events and details, visit http://psnedmonton.ca/.
About Remi Kanazi:
Remi Kanazi is a poet, writer, and activist based in New York City. He is the author of Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine (RoR Publishing, 2011) and the editor of Poets For Palestine (Al Jisser Group, 2008).
His political commentary has been featured by news outlets throughout the world, including Al Jazeera English, GRITtv with Laura Flanders, and BBC Radio. He recently appeared in the Palestine Festival of Literature as well as Poetry International. He is a recurring writer in residence and advisory board member for the Palestine Writing Workshop and he is on the organizing committee of USACBI (the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel).
He has taught poetry workshops from Oklahoma to the West Bank, given talks from New York City to London, and has performed at hundreds of venues, from New Orleans to Amman.
We are still at Rouge Lounge (10111 117 Street) every single Tuesday night at 8pm bringing you your weekly dose of poetic goodness.
Tonight the Rouge Poetry SLAM continues with some fantastic poets! Doors @ 8pm. $5 Cover
Check the Rouge Poetry SLAM tab for schedule details.
See you tonight!
