Nicola and Joseph will read from their newly published children’s books, A Day With Yayah by Tradewind Books and The sasquatch, the fire, the cedar basket by Nightwood Press.  I heard an elder speak of the importance of our languages and our culture. He said that our words are powerful; our stories are elastic; our languages are music: they dance, they move and they are medicine for our people. He said they are a spirit within themselves and we are…

A literary afternoon delight! Music and words from many of the artists performing throughout the festival, including a selection of Hullabaloo performers featured from our youth events. Witness festival highlights in one shared space, where artists and organizers, established and up-and-coming meet, mingle and make merry. This year we will hear from Joseph Dandurand, Ainslie Glass, Louise Halfe, Aaron Hunter, Matt. Miller, Sam Peters, Rabbit Richards, Chris Tse, Holden Wall, LJ Weisberg, Yes the Poet, and more! Doors: 2:30 PM…

Join us at the hearth fire for words of heartbreak, the fire of hope and a warm home. If you are exhausted, rest. If you are full of love and a desire to connect, come forward. -Janice Jo Lee Doors 7:30 PM / Start 8:00 / Cultch Historic / $25 Adv / $30 Door   PURCHASE TICKETS Cree from the Ancestral lands of Moshkeko, and a band member of Attawapiskat First Nation, Jules Koostachin was born in Moose Factory, Ontario…

The drum is our heartbeat. Learn how to make your own drum with master drum maker Darren Charlie. He will speak about the importance and sacredness of the drum. This workshop provides all the drum making supplies you need. If you want to join the singing of the new song for Vancouver created with Kelsey Charlie please register for Kelsey’s workshop on Tuesday April 21. Participants in Darren’s workshop may attend Kelsey’s workshop for FREE. Doors 12:30 PM / Start…

Canada’s best slam poets show us their strongest 4- and 1-minute poems in the first stage of a competition destined to crown 2020’s national slam champion! Bout 1: Doors 5:00 PM / Start 5:30 / Havana Theatre / $10 Door  PURCHASE TICKETS FOR BOUT 1 Bout 2: Doors 7:30 PM / Start 8:00 / Cafe Deux Soleils / $10 Door BOUT 2, Admission at the door only The Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (C.I.P.S.) is a dedicated large-scale national event to…

Join gifted Sts’ailes songwriter Kelsey Charlie and the drum makers who made their instruments with Darren Charlie and everyone who sing songs to create a new song for the whole city to share. Bring your drum! Doors: 12:30 PM / Start 1:00 / WISE Hall /  $25 Adv / $30 Door / FREE for Voice of the Drum participants PURCHASE TICKETS

It’s Autism Acceptance Month! Join us in celebrating multiple forms of neurodivergence at this showcase curated by Rabbit Richards.  Doors: 3:30PM / Start 4:00 / WISE Hall / $6 Adv / $10 Door PURCHASE TICKETS

Join Kelsey and Willie Charlie as they sing Kelsey’s new song for  the community. Willie will share stories and words and teachings for everyone. Doors: 6:30 PM / Start 7:00 / WISE Hall / $25 Adv / $30 Door / FREE for participants in Kelsey Charlie’s Workshop   PURCHASE TICKETS   Cha’qua’wet – Willie Charlie Willie Charlie has been married to Anna, for thirty-six years. They have three sons William, Ryan (Margaret ) and Darcy, they have three grandsons Jeremy,…

At Mashed Poetics poets are asked to write new poems based on songs from a featured music album.  A live band performs all the songs with the poets performing in between and sometimes with the band. For Verses 2020 we’ve chosen the album Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me. Doors: 8:30 PM / Start 9:00 / WISE Hall / $10 Adv / $12 Door   PURCHASE TICKETS

This community conversation will focus on the unique challenges faced by folks with invisible disabilities in maintaining engagement with the  arts while negotiating access needs. Facilitated by two of our community’s poets and care-givers, Rabbit Richards and Holden Wall.  Doors 1:00 PM / Start 1:30 / Havana Theatre / FREE RSVP

Join us in celebrating two innovative poets, Isabella Wang and Leanne Dunic. Leanne will perform with members of The Deep Cove to share some of her work from The Gift: a Story and Music published by Book*hug Press. Isabella will be reading from her recent book On Forgetting a Language published by Baseline.  Doors 3:00 PM / Start 3:30 / WISE Hall / $10 Adv / $12 Door PURCHASE TICKETS Isabella Wang is the author of On Forgetting a Language…

Canada’s best slam poets show us their strongest 2- and 3-minute poems in the second stage of a competition destined to crown 2020’s national slam champion! Bout 1: Doors 7:30 PM / Start 8:00 / Cafe Deux Soleils / $10 Door  BOUT 1, Admission at the door only Bout 2: Doors 7:30 PM / Start 8:00 / Havana Theatre / $10 Door BOUT 2: PURCHASE TICKETS

Storm Crow reserved a table for festival artists and audience members to get to know each other and relax. Everyone is welcome! Reservation opens at 10:00 PM / Storm Crow Tavern

Guided by three talented poets with years of experience in the spoken word community, Dana De Samedi, Lucia Misch and Brad Morden, this talk-the-talk asks emerging and senior artists to join an open dialogue about how poets can use their experiences on slam stages to continue to grow. Everyone is welcome! Doors 12:00 PM / Start 12:30 / Havana Theatre / FREE RSVP Brad Morden is a ukulele/poet and poetry organizer from Norfolk County, Ontario. He is one half of…

Brad and Ian are working with Dave Silverberg, Bookchain, Colibrio, Write Bloody North and members of the Canadian spoken word community to develop digital publishing strategies that work for spoken word artists. They will talk about how digital technology can serve spoken word artists and get feedback from the community about what you need. Doors 3:00 PM / Start 3:30 / Havana Theatre / FREE RSVP Brad Morden is a ukulele/poet and poetry organizer from Norfolk County, Ontario. He is…

Who or what is the voice on your shoulder telling you that you can’t write about (fill in the blank).  The approach to fresh language is usually accompanied by distancing yourself from what you think might be correct or “right.” Using the “separate language” of poetry, where do we begin filling the empty spaces?  In this workshop, you will document your vernacular, learn to deliver your poems aloud, and interview your fellow workshop poet. This will be a workshop-long immersion…

Through a dubwize approach to performance, we can create and empower textures, emotive transmutations and our own narratives and responses to the rigors of everyday life, we can create community, name the nameless & un-nameables, craft language & linguistic interventions and align politics and aesthetics. In this interactive master class we will explore and experiment with various strategies to create and voice individual and collective works with special attention to new and exciting movements with grassroots revolutionary zeal and Black…

Featuring Lucia Misch and her newly released book The Problem With Solitaire, along with upcoming Write Bloody North authors RC Weslowski (fall 2020) and Patrick de Belen. Write Bloody North publishes groundbreaking voices and legends of spoken word to create innovative, fresh poetry books.  Doors 4:00 PM / Start 4:30 PM / Havana Theatre / $10 Adv / $12 Door PURCHASE TICKETS

The top 12 poets from preliminaries advance to a final competition! Who will claim the title of 2020 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion? Doors 7:30 PM / Start 8:00 / WISE Hall / $18 Adv / $20 Door The Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (C.I.P.S.) is a dedicated large-scale national event to determine the best slammer in Canada. It is sponsored by SpoCan (Spoken Word Canada), the governing body of Canadian poetry slam. PURCHASE TICKETS

Luke Dandurand, also known as DJ Native is going to help us celebrate C.I.P.S. Finals and shares his gift of sound. Wiyé.nox is the name earned and gifted from Luke’s Elders of Kwantlen First Nation and his hereditary Chief Marilyn Gabriel, for his extensive background in music. Doors 10:00PM / Start 10:15 / WISE Hall / FREE Wiyé.nox ‐ the man of sound is the name earned and gifted from Luke’s Elders of Kwantlen First Nation and his hereditary chief…

Learn about the Kwantlen people and their struggle to survive. Learn from Nova Weipert an Ojibwe Two-Spirit multi-disciple artist and filmmaker who will share Indigenous history and culture. Doors 11:30 AM / Start 12:00 / KW Studio / By Donation at the door

Vancouver Poetry House invited spoken word poets to submit their gently crafted, unconventional work that hasn’t found a home yet to be included in the first edition of our chapbook, Cotyledon. The funds raised from this project will go towards supporting our youth programming. Doors 1:30 PM / Start 2:00 / KW Studio / By Donation at the door