All of the Awesome in One Festival. OMG.

Ladies, Gentlemen, and Rogues. You may wish to take a gander at the VERSeFest 2014 Schedule, as it is fucking awesome.
 
These are just a few of the brilliant poets who will be strutting their stuff the March:
Lenelle Moïse, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Mary Pinkoski, D-Lightfull, Sarah de Leeuw, Marilyn Irwin, Philoso-Fire, Sarah Clancy, Sandra Alland, Selina Boan, Amanda Earl, Nina Berkhout, Liz Lochhead, Jenna Tenn-Yuk, Katherena Vermette, Sue Goyette, Karen Connelly, Susan Gillis, Margaret Christakos, Moe Clark, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Danielle K. L. Gregoire, Mary Ruefle, and buckets more.
 
I don’t know about you, but I’m very fucking excited. 😀
 
 
TTFN,
A.

Advertisements

Women’s Slam 2014

This year’s women’s slam is coming up THIS WEEK at Pressed Cafe! Show at 7:15
Cover = $8 at the door (free for competing poets). All women-identified poets welcome to slam. Who’s gonna be there? 😀

Upcoming Events – April 2013

Thursday, April 18^th

Ottawa Storytellers’ Speaking Out, Speaking In series presents: “Granddaughters Speak” ft Marta Singh and Sherri Yazdani

NAC Fourth Stage

7:30pm

Tickets: $20 at the NAC Box Office

 

Sunday, April 21^st

Dusty Owl presents Sonia Saikaley and Alexis Kienlen

Mugshots Bar (75 Nicholas Street, in the Old Jail)

3pm

PWYC

 

Tuesday, April 23^rd

Tree Reading Series presents:

A Round Table editing session with John Steffler (6:45pm)

AND

A feature performance by Mary Dalton (8pm)

Arts Court Library

PWYC

 

Friday April 26^th

Ottawa International Writers’ Festival presents:

“Writing your Life” with (VoV alumna) Amber Dawn, Iain Reid, and Miriam Katin (6:30pm)

“Every Happy Family” ft Cathy Marie Buchanan, Saleema Nawaz, and Shyam Selvadurai (8:30pm)

Knox Presbyterian Church

$15 per show (online or at the door)

The Spring Edition of Writers’ Fest is ongoing – running from April 10^th to May 13^th – and more information can be found at www.writersfestival.org.

 

Saturday April 27^th

Ivan Coyote and Taqralik Partridge (!!!) as part of Northern Scene

Knox Presbyterian Church

8:30pm

Tickets – $12 online, at the NAC box office, or at the door. You can also get in with a Writers’ Fest pass.

Northern Scene runs from April 25^th to May 4^th and includes 250 artists from Yukon, North West Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut. You can find more information on performers and performances at http://nac-cna.ca/en/northernscene.

 

Saturday April 27 AND Sunday April 28^th

Plan 99 in conjunction with Writers’ Fest present:

Tamas Dobozy & Elisabeth de Mariaffi (27th)
David Seymour, Rona Shaffran & Stephanie Bolster (28^th)

Manx Pub

5pm

Free

Voices of Venus ft Marta Singh!

Hi folks!
 
Sorry for the radio silence. Things are a bit nutty in my personal life, what with moving apartments and getting married (in two weeks!), so the updates have been rather slower than I might otherwise like.
 
None the less, I do want to make sure everyone knows about this week’s show.
 
 

Join us THIS WEDNESDAY December 12th for “Landscapes of Silence” and Tales of Wonder from Argentina!

 
 
This month, we’re excited to bring you Storyteller Marta Singh, who will be telling us Tales of Wonder from Northwest Argentina, as well as pieces from her two-hour set “Landscapes of Silence” which is all about growing up in a family with Secrets.
 
From her bio:
A recent arrival on the storytelling scene, Marta has already made a noticeable impact in her own community of Ottawa, in the Eastern Townships, and in a number of other Ontario locations. She has told regularly at the Ottawa StoryTellers series at the Fourth Stage of the National Arts Centre, performed with the epic group Stories from the Ages, and been featured at festivals in Sherbrooke, PQ, and St. Mary’s, Ontario. Argentinean by birth she tells in English, Spanish and bilingually. Performances by Marta leave audiences spell-bound. Her repertoire includes traditional, literary and personal stories. She is definitely a teller to watch.
 
Come out and join us!
As always, our all-women open mic is ready and waiting for you to share your own work – and you get in free, if you perform. For those of you (of any gender) who wish to be part of our audience, the cover is $5/pwyc, and we would love to have you!
 
 
Looking forward to seeing you on what just might be a snowy December night.
TTFN,
Ms. A.

Upcoming Events – November 2012

Hey everybody,
Here’s this month’s upcoming events. Big Deals include the Ottawa International Storytelling Festival (three days of nationally and internationally renowned tellers), the When Brothers Speak spoken word concert, the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair (Fall 2012 Edition), and Ivan E. Coyote’s free performance of Gender Failure. Take a look.
 
 
~*~
 
 

Friday, November 2nd

 
Speak! Campus Edition ft Sarah Musa, Array-of-Words, and Khaleefa Apollo the Child
Rooster’s Café (Carleton University Unicentre)
7pm
$5
 
Ottawa Storytellers’ Encore West! presents “Variety is the Spice of Life” ft Kim Kilpatrick and Cristina Kindl
Collected Works (Wellington W at Holland)
7pm
$8/PWYC
 
AB Series presents Sandra Ridley and Colin Smith
Ottawa Art Gallery
8pm
$10
 
CKCU presents Rock & Rhyme, a fundraiser ft Coleen Leafloor, Shaun “Sully” Sullivan, and others
Avant-Guarde Bar (135½ Besserer St near the Redeau Centre)
8pm
$10 (but they’ll take more, if you can spare it)
 
 

Saturday, November 3rd

 
READING: Josee Lindsay reads from Super Spark
Books on Beechwood
1pm
Free
 
The Ottawa Public Library’s Author Series presents Anita Rau Badami, reading from Tell it to the Trees
Sunnyside Branch (Bank at Sunnyside)
2pm
Free
 
Capital Slam ft Chris August
Mercury Lounge (56 Byward Market)
Doors & sign-up: 6:30
Slam: 7pm
$8 (free for performers)
 
 

Sunday, November 4th

 
LAUNCH: Bywards Quarterly Journal Fall 2012 Edition
Collected Works
2pm
PWYC
 
Slam Outaouais
Le Troquet (41 rue Laval, Gatineau, Quebec – près de la Promenade du Portage)
7:30pm
$8
Pour les poètes francophones
Prendre le bus 8 à Place du Portage. Vous pouvez facilement gagner à pied Le Troquet de la gare.
 
 

Wednesday, November 7th

 
READING: Kayt Sukel reads from Dirty Minds: How Our Brains Influence Love, Sex an Relationships.
Collected Works
7pm
Free
 
AB Series presents Ian Keteku, John Sobol, Brandon Wint, and John Giorno
NAC 4th Stage
7:30pm
$22 OR $18 for students/seniors (available in advance from the NAC box office)
 
 

Thursday, November 8th

 
READING: Bruce MacDonald reads from The North Star of Herschel Island
Collected Works
7pm
Free
 
 

Friday, November 9th

 
Urban Legends poetry slam ft Anastasia
Carleton University Architecture Building
7pm
$8 (free for performers)
 
 

Saturday, November 10th

 
The Ottawa Public Library’s Author Series presents Charles Foran reading from Mordecai: The Life and Times
Main Branch (Metcalf at Laurier)
2pm
Free
 
Plan 99 presents Scott Fotheringham & Alice Peterson
Manx Pub (Elgin at Frank)
5pm
$5-$10
 
Ottawa Storytellers present “The Little Iliad” a pre-festival story-and-dance performance ft Peggy Baker
Arts Court (2 Daly Ave)
7pm OR 8pm (two overlapping performances)
$40
Tickets available online.
 
 

Sunday, November 11th

 
When Brothers Speak spoken word concert ft Suhaib Agial, PrufRock Shadowrunner, and others
Ottawa Little Theatre
7pm
$20 ($15 for students) – available at select locations (follow the link to know more)
 
 

Tuesday, November 13th

 
Ottawa Storytellers present Stories and Tea: “Beavers, Bears, and Bravado: Tales from Canada” ft. Kathie Kompass and Valorie Bunce
The Tea Party Café (119 York between Dalhousie and Cumberland)
7pm
$8
 
Tree Reading Series presents Oana Avasillichioaei & Glen Downie
Arts Court Library
8pm
Free
 
 

Wednesday, November 14th

 

Voices of Venus ft. Joanne John
Venus Envy (320 Lisgar at Bank)
Doors & sign-up: 7:30
Show: 8pm
$5

 
 

November 15th-18th

Naked Narrative: The Ottawa International Storytelling Festival ft Jan Blake, Annie Fletcher, Michael Kusugak, Kelly Russell, Stephen Tobolowsky, Evan Webber & Frank Cox-O’Connell, and more!
St Brigit’s Cultural Centre
See program for dates and times of specific shows
$110 (full festival pass)
Tickets (for the festival and for individual shows) available online
 
 

Thursday, November 15th

VERSeOttawa and Factory Reading Series present Lectures and Readings by Cameron Anstee, Stephen Brockwell, Pearl Pirie
Mercury Lounge
7:30pm
$10
 
 

Friday, November 16th

 
Ottawa Small Press Book Fair presents a Pre-Fair Reading ft Rachael Simpson, David Blaikie, Christian McPherson, Michael Lithgow, and George Elliott Clarke
Carleton Tavern (Armstrong St at Parkdale)
7pm
$5
 
 

Saturday, November 17th

 
The Ottawa Small Press Book Fair Fall 2012 Edition
Jack Purcell Community Centre (Elgin at Lews), Rm 203
Noon
Free Admission (but be ready to buy some fabulous books… and other literary goodies)
 
The Ottawa Public Library’s Author Series presents Helen Humphreys reading from Coventry
Rosemount Branch (18 Rosemount in Hintonburg)
2pm
Free
 
 

Sunday, November 18th

 
Dusty Owl Reading Series presents Mark Goldstein and Spencer Gordon
Elmdale House Tavern (1084 Wellington W, in Hintonburg)
3pm
PWYC
 
 

Monday, November 19th

 
Ottawa Youth Poetry Slam ft D.M.P.
Pressed Café (Gladstone at Arthur)
5:30 – workshop with Kay’la Fraser
6:30 – sign-up and slam
$2/pwyc
 
 

Tuesday, November 20th

 
AB Series presents a workshop ft Katlin Ladik
City Hall Art Gallery (main floor, Laurier at Elgin)
7pm
PWYC
 
 

Wednesday, November 21st

 
AB Series presents Katalin Ladik and Gerry Shikatani
Arts Court Theatre
7:30pm
Cost Unknown
 
LAUNCH: Flamingo Rampant presents S. Bear Bergman reading from childrens’ books Backwards Day and The Adventures of Tulip, Birthday Wish Fairy, both of which introduce young readers to the idea of trans-identified and gender independent children
Venus Envy
7:30
Free
 
 

Thursday, November 22nd

 
Gender Failure ft Ivan E. Coyote and Rae Spoon
Kailash Mital Theatre, Carleton University
7:30pm
Free
 
 

Saturday, November 24th

 
The Ottawa Public Library’s Author Series presents Rebecca Rosenblum reading from The Big Dream
Carlingwood Branch (woodroffe at Saville, near Carling)
2pm
Free
 
LAUNCH: Apt 9 Press chapbook launch ft. Phil Hall, Rachel Simpson, and Claudia Coutu Radmore
Raw Sugar (Somerset at Cambridge, near Bronson)
2pm
Free
 
Plann 99 presents Carey Toane & Stewart Cole
Manx Pub
5pm
$5-$10
 
 

Tuesday, November 27th

 
Ottawa Storytellers present Stories and Tea: “Slavery in Canada” ft. VoV Alumna Ruthanne Edward
The Tea Party Café (119 York between Dalhousie and Cumberland)
7pm
$8
 
Tree Reading Series presents Daphne Marlatt & David O’Meara
Arts Court Library
8pm
Free
 
 
~*~
 
 
So there you have it. A month’s worth of events for spoken word and live-lit lovers alike. If you know of an event that we’ve missed, feel free to drop us a comment and let us know the details. 🙂
 
 
TTFN,
A.

Lady Katalyst chez VoV Tonight! :-D

Hey folks!
 
Here’s a youtube sampling of Lady Katalyst’s work. Enjoy the videos, and come out to see her live on our stage this evening. Doors and open-mic sign-up are at 7:30, show starts at 8pm. 😀
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
So there’s a taste of what you can expect this evening when Lady Katalyst goes solo on our stage. 🙂
 
 
See you there. 😀

Upcoming Events – September 2012

Monday, September 10th

 
The Naughty Bits Book Club ft Curvy Girls: Erotica for Women
Venus Envy (320 Lisgar St @ Bank)
6:30pm
Free (Also you get a discount on the book-of-the-month if you buy it at the store)
 
 

Tuesday, September 11th

 
Ottawa Storytellers present Stories and Tea: You’ve Just Got to Laugh
Ft Laila Djiwa and Gail Anglin
Tea Party Café (119 York St)
7pm
$8/pwyc
 
Tree Reading Series ft Betsy Struthers & Sina Queyras
Arts Court Library
8pm
PWYC
 
 

Wednesday, September 12th

 

Voices of Venus ft V
Venus Envy
Doors – 7:30
Show – 8pm
$5/PWYC (open mic performers get in free)

 
 

Friday, September 14th

 
House of PainT presents Grand Slam 500 – House of PainT Poetry Slam
FT CauseMo, Jenna Tenn-Yuk, King Kimbit, V, Festrell, Loh El, Dimorphic, ArRay-of-Words, JustJamaal, Hyf GypsySun, PrufRock, and Sense-Say
Shopify (126 York St)
7pm
$10
 
 

Saturday, September 15th

 
Dusty Owl presents The Ottawa 2012 Slam Team (PrufRock, Sir Realist, V, Hyfidelik, and alternate member Loh El)
Elmdale House Tavern
3pm
PWYC
 
Capital Slam ft the Ottawa Youth Poetry Slam Team (Gavin Russell, Biting Midge, Poetiquette, Blue and Kimbit)
Mercury Lounge (56 Byward Market St)
Doors – 6:30
Slam – 7pm
$8 (free for performers)
 
 

Monday, September 17th

 
The Ottawa Public Library’s Author Series presents Helen Humphreys’ Coventry
Rosemount Library (18 Rosemount in Hintonburg)
2pm-3pm
Free (donations welcome)
 
Ottawa Youth Poetry Slam ft Jenna Tenn-Yuk
Pressed Café (750 Gladstone Ave)
Youth Poetry Workshop – 5:30
Slam – 6:30
$2/PWYC
 
 

Tuesday, September 18th

 
Reading: Books on Beechwood’s Scribes and Scones presents Peggy Blair, Brenda Missen, and C. B. Forrest reading from their latest mystery novels
The Scone Witch (35 Beechwood)
5pm-7pm
$12 (includes a light dinner, dessert, and coffee or tea)
NOTE: Admission is limited to 25 people. Please reserve in advance (staff@booksonbeechwood.ca)
 
 

Wednesday, September 19th

 
Reading: Biblioasis presents Nadine McInnis with Craig Boyko and Norm Sibum
Collected Works (Wellington West at Holland)
7pm
Free
 
 

Thursday, September 20th

 
The Ottawa Public Library’s Author Series presents Brenda Missen’s Tell Anna She’s Safe
Stittsville Library (1637 Main St, in Stittsville)
6:30pm – 8:15pm
Free (donations welcome)
 
Wellington Street Readers book club ft Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Collected Works
7pm-9pm
Free (new members are welcome to join any time)
 
 

Saturday, September 22nd

 
Signing: Mike Martin’s The Walker on the Cape
Books on Beechwood (35 Beechwood Ave)
1pm
Free
 
Book Launch: Brenda Chapman’s Second Chances
Collected Works
2pm
Free
 

VERSeOttawa Women’s Slam – Qualifying Round TWO
Mercury Lounge
Doors – 6:30
Slam – 7pm
$8 (free for competitors)

 
 

Tuesday, September 25th

 
Reading: Francis Itani reads from Listen! and Requiem
Memorial Hall, MacKay United Church (39 Dufferin Rd)
7pm
$10
 
Ottawa Storytellers present Stories and Tea: Mythical Creatures
Ft Kim Kilpatrick and Joanna Smith
Tea Party Café (119 York St)
7pm
$8/pwyc
 
Tree Reading Series ft Jan Conn & Julie Bruck
Arts Court Library
8pm
PWYC
 
 

Thursday, September 27th

 
The Brotherhood presents OttawaArt
Fall Down Gallery (288 Bank St)
7pm
$8
 
 

Friday, September 28th

 
Rae Spoon and Vivek Shraya present First Spring Grass Fire
Venus Envy
8:30pm
$10
 
 

Saturday, September 29th

 
Plan 99 presents Don McGrath and Michael Lithgow
Manx Pub (370 Elgin St)
5pm
$5
 
 
~*~
 
 
Have we missed anything? Drop us a comment and we’ll add your event to the list.
 
 
TTFN,
A.