This event will have ASL interpretation.
Entrancing, surprising, and memorable: The Poetry Bash is a gateway to discovering new-to-you poets from across the globe or hearing your favourites during an atmospheric night of readings.
This year’s poets include: Winner of the Maya Angelou Book Award Threa Almontaser (The Wild Fox of Yemen); Claudia Castro Luna (Cipota under the Moon) sharing an ode to the Salvadoran immigrant experience in the United States; Andrew Faulkner, who’s written a “buddy cop dramedy poetry collection” (Heady Bloom); New Zealand poet Tayi Tibble sharing a bold, intimate exploration of being an Indigenous woman (Poūkahangatus); Alexandra Oliver with a scintillating portrait of the suburban uncanny (Hail, the Invisible Watchman); and 2022 ReLit Award-winner Charlie Petch (Why I Was Late). Hosted by Billeh Nickerson.
Event Participants:
THREA ALMONTASER is a Yemeni American author from New York City. Almontaser’s debut collection of poetry, The Wild Fox of Yemen, was selected for the 2020 Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets by Harryette Mullen. (YEMEN/ UNITED STATES)
ANDREW FAULKER is the author of two books of poetry, Heady Bloom and Need Machine, and several chapbooks, one of which was shortlisted for the bpNichol Chapbook Award. He has an MFA from the University of Guelph and works as the managing editor of Invisible Publishing. (ONTARIO)
CLAUDIA CASTRO LUNA has been an Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate fellow, the Washington State Poet Laureate, and Seattle’s inaugural Civic Poet. She is the author of Cipota under the Moon, One River, and the Pushcart nominated Killing Marías. (UNITED STATES/EL SALVADOR)
BILLEH NICKERSON is the author of Artificial Cherry, which was nominated for the City of Vancouver Book Award, and Duct-Taped Roses, which he shared at VWF 2021, among other books. He is a past editor of both Event and Prism International, and co-chair of the Creative Writing Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
ALEXANDRA OLIVER is the author of three poetry collections: Meeting the Tormentors in Safeway, recipient of the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, Let the Empire Down, and Hail, the Invisible Watchman. She has performed her work for CBC Radio, NPR, and numerous festivals and conferences. (ONTARIO)
CHARLIE PETCH is a disabled/queer/transmasculine musician and writer. Petch was the 2017 Poet of Honour for Spoken Word Canada, and winner of the Golden Beret lifetime achievement in spoken word with The League of Canadian Poets. Why I Was Late won the 2022 ReLit Award for Poetry. (ONTARIO)
TAYI TIBBLE (Te Whānau ā Apanui/Ngāti Porou) completed a master’s degree in creative writing in 2017 from the International Institute of Modern Letters, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Poūkahangatus is her debut volume of poetry. (NEW ZEALAND)
Presented thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.
