Well, that was something. Our very first virtual reading and it was live! Talk about being courageous and bold! I think it’s safe to say that in spite of very minor tech issues, our fears were unfounded. It turned out to be a resounding success. We attempted to record the reading so that those who couldn’t make it to the live event were still be able to enjoy it. We’re still wrestling with the actual full version, but in the interim here are three video clips from the evening’s reading.
First up, our featured poet, Frances Boyle, who was joining us from Ottawa, reading mainly from her most recent volume, This White Nest. What a terrific reading!
Also on this first video clip and joining Frances, our surprise guest was none other than Emily Dickinson herself. Channelled by the talented Renée Bucciarelli, Miss Dickinson delivered three of her memorable poems. You can view her here on her YouTube channel:
We decided we would also try our first first virtual Open Mic, live. This too went beautifully. With ten open mic’ers signing up, we had participants from as far east as Ontario and as far north as the Yukon. You’ll get a taste of their talents in the next two video clips…
Our Next Poetry Reading
If it works once, why not do it again, right? Next month’s poetry reading (remember, we’re every third Wednesday of the month) is going to feature two exceptional talents and it too will be virtual. Please join us on Wednesday June 17 at 7:30pm (West Coast time) to hear these two powerful poetic voices. Here is a bio on each…
Joseph A. Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation, located on the Fraser River about 20 minutes east of Vancouver, where he resides with his 3 children: Danessa, Marlysse, and Jace. Joseph is the Director of the Kwantlen Cultural Center and has received a Diploma in Performing Arts from Algonquin College and studied Theatre and Direction at the University of Ottawa. He sits on an advisory committee for the Canadian Museum of History and is tasked with consulting on the redesign of the new Children’s Museum. He has published many books of poetry and plays, of which the latest are: I Want (Leaf Press, 2015), Hear and Foretell (BookLand Press, 2015), The Rumour (BookLand Press, 2018), SH:LAM (The Doctor) (Mawenzi House, 2019), I Will Be Corrupted (Guernica Editions, 2020), and his children’s play Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish (Playwrights Canada Press, 2019). His book of short stories and short plays for children The Sasquatch, the Fire, and the Cedar Baskets will soon be published by Nightwood Editions along with his poetry manuscript Here we come. He has just completed a residency as the Indigenous Storyteller in Residence at the Vancouver Public Library and he continues to be very busy storytelling at many events and schools.
Sonnet L’Abbé is the author of three collections of poetry, A Strange Relief and Killarnoe, and Sonnet’s Shakespeare, which was shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and the Raymond Souster Award, and longlisted for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award. Their chapbook, Anima Canadensis, won the 2017 bpNichol Chapbook Award. In 2000, they won the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award for most promising writer under 35. In 2014, they were the guest editor of Best Canadian Poetry in English. L’Abbé lives on Vancouver Island and is a professor of Creative Writing and English at Vancouver Island University.
Please join us for our Second Virtual Live Reading at Poets Corner!
If you want to hear these two wonderful poets, you will have to register ahead of time. YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO JOIN UNLESS YOU REGISTER.
The reading will be delivered via the Zoom video conferencing platform, but in order to try and minimize interruptions from nefarious types, we have opted to make the live reading a registration-only event. And in keeping with our tradition of having an Open Mic segment to complement our featured poet readings, we are extending an invitation for you to read one of your poems. It’s first come, first served, and you’ll be restricted to just one poem, or three minutes, whichever is the lesser of the two.
To attend this month’s live virtual reading, here’s what you need to know…
Venue: Zoom platform online (click the link below to register)
Date: Wednesday, 17 June 2020, from 7:30 to 9:30pm, PT
Register in advance by clicking this link…
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYoc-mopzIqGdAI02wt2nnFWuYw_TFWQPGH
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the meeting. If you have any questions or if you would like to sign up for the live open mic, contact us in advance at:
socialmedia@poetscorner.ca
Open mic’ers, remember you will still have to register for the reading first. Also, you’ll need a smartphone or computer with audio and video capabilities to participate in the open mic segment. Remember, it’s first come, first served.
‘See’ you all on Wednesday June 17 at 7:30pm.
