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Saturday, April 29, 2017, 11AM – 7PM, Downtown Toronto
With the support of the League of Canadian Poets, Authors for Indies, and PEN Canada, Inspiritus Press and Lexical Canada is organizing a pop up street reading tour for National Poetry Month, on Saturday April 29, on a route through major downtown Toronto locations, public transit, and areas of pedestrian traffic, including landmarks, book shops, cafes, and other venues.
The event is in the spirit of bringing poetry to the general public and in solidarity of persecuted and imprisoned writers around the world. Donations during the readings will go to PEN Canada, a non-profit charity that works to protect the freedom of expression for writers.
Great poetry, great conversation, Toronto sights and sounds!
For more info and live updates on routes and locations:
Facebook event page
twitter.com/TOStreetPoetry
Contact person: taka[at]inspirituspress.com
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Party of Poets:
Jessica Bebenek (Desert Pets Press, Grow & Grow)
JC Bouchard (words(on)pages, In/Words Press)
Ronna Bloom (Pedlar Press, Carleton University Press)
Andrew Bröbyn
Julie Cameron Gray (Tightrope Books, Palimpsest Press)
Ayesha Chatterjee (Bayeux Arts)
Meena Chopra
Adebe DeRango-Adem (Inanna Publications, Frontenac House)
Marc Di Saverio (Palimpsest Press, Biblioasis, Signal Editions, Vehicule Press)
Ally Fleming (Serif of Nottingham Editions, Anstruther Press)
Catherine Graham (Wolsak & Wynn, Insomniac Press)
Sonja Greckol (Pedlar Press, Inanna Publications)
Beatriz Hausner (Quattro Books, BookThug)
Joseph Ianni
Jim Johnstone (Guernica Editions, Nightwood Editions, Tightrope Books, Vehicule Press)
Zachary Jones
Kateri Lanthier (Signal Editions, Vehicule Press)
Justin Lauzon
Canisia Lubrin (Wolsak & Wynn)
Lillian Necakov (Mansfield Press, Coach House Books, Wolsak & Wynn)
John Oughton (Guernica, Coach House)
Daniel Kincade Renton (Frog Hollow Press)
Lisa Richter (Tightrope Books)
Takatsu (Anstruther Press, Inspiritus Press)
Myna Wallin (Tightrope Books)
Lisa Young (Quattro Books)
and more!
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Route:
All scheduled times are liberal estimates and subject to change. Remember to stay tuned to Facebook event page and twitter.com/TOStreetPoetry for live updates.
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Submissions:
The event is a community one, so all are encouraged to join. Submissions are now closed. But there will be open mic reading slots as well for anyone to step up!
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Purpose:
We’d love to not only bring the gift of poetry and spontaneity to the streets, bring the poetry community and its respected poets to mainstream culture, but to stand for the freedom of expression in public and bring to attention the resistance a writer may receive for speaking up.
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Host:
Inspiritus Press
We are a small press in Toronto that doesn’t believe in doing things as a company but as a collaborative grassroots community, and our doors are always wide open, no matter emerging or established or affiliation. We always hit the streets guerrilla style, not afraid to get our hands dirty. We’ve started initiatives like Crossroads Literary Festival at York University and online writing communities, done open mics and been the fans and friends at countless events and with organizations; we believe in giving and communities and supporting our local industry. Moreover, we believe in breaking down silos between disciplines in art, between technology and tradition, between styles and form, between demographics and groups, so we can all be part of one collective soul frequency, free to express. That’s why we want to bring Toronto the noise.
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Media Partner:
Lexical.ca
Lexical is the first comprehensive online resource for Canadian writers and publishers. We offer extensive listings, content, and detailed profiles on a variety of aspects of the literary community in Canada. Our entries are up-to-date and accurate, and come straight from coordination with each publisher, magazine, bookstore, agency, venue, etc.
With Support Of:
The League of Canadian Poets
Authors for Indies Day
PEN Canada
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Proceeds:
PEN Canada
– Helps free writers who are persecuted and, in many countries, imprisoned and tortured simply for expressing themselves.
– Fights censorship and defends the right to freedom of expression. PEN has intervened in a number of landmark legal cases in the name of journalistic integrity and artistic freedom.
– Educates Canadian students, through visits to schools made by writers in exile, about the importance of freedom of expression.
– Researches and documents contemporary international violations of freedom of expression.
– Programs Freedom to Read Week (in partnership with the Toronto Public Library), an event that emphasizes the central role that free speech plays in any open and democratic society.
– Supports refugee writers seeking amnesty from persecution in Canada by providing various opportunities, such as placement in residency programs at universities and other institutions.
– Promotes literature through a series of annual literary events designed to stimulate dialogue, entertain, and celebrate writers and writing.
