Tara & I in June

        

Tara and I! Love my talented smart beautiful niece!

Preparing for an upcoming feature performance...

A photo from one of the performance videos I am working on for my poetry feature at Shab-e S'her on June 30th, a Tuesday, at Beit Zatoum 612 Markham St (near Bloor and Bathurst). Been busy preparing for this upcoming feature - I will be doing about half an hour of poetry, some with masks, most with video.

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/911027915631459/

Transit Drawings

   

A couple of small quick Transit Drawings (done on the subway). 5.5" x 8", graphite, Pitt art pens, Strathmore toned gray sketch paper acid free.

Attended the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist Readings

The 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist Readings last night at Koerner Hall (each writer gets $10,000. for being shortlisted, the books translated share the money) – Shane Book, Eleanor Goodman and Wang Xiaoni, Marek Kazmierski and Wioletta Greg, Michael Longley, Jane Munro, Spencer Reece and Russell Thornton - was magnifico! Saw quite a few poets from the Toronto poetry scene there - which was wonderful. The reception afterwards was a lot of fun too, thanks Quattro Books - who have a book shortlisted - The Hundred Lives by Russell Thornton (I'll be writing a review of his book). The readings were top notch, and who is going to win will be a difficult decision for the judges, who narrowed down this year's shortlist from a submission of 500 poetry books from Canadian publishers. Took the photo with my iPhone without realizing I shouldn't have (my bad), but I did get permission to post it.

I also bought, The Griffin Poetry Prize 2015 Anthology (edited by Tim Bowling, published by House of Anansi Press), a collection of a few poems by each of the authors shortlisted. Royalties from The Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology are donated to UNESCO’s World Poetry Day, created to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression, and to offer endangered languages the opportunities to be heard in their communities.

May 2015 Poetry Salon: photos and video

Was brillyg, our Poetry and Music Salon! We did gyre and gimble at Urban Gallery! I'd like to thank our features, Kath MacLean and Joani Paige, for their poems, songs, for sharing so deeply with us their oeuvre, their work, beautiful and gutsy and more than a wonderful way to spend time on a Saturday afternoon. The open mic list was lit with light. This city has so much talent! I am so privileged to be able to gather some of that talent in one room for an afternoon of poetry and music. I'd like to thank Feng Zhou, Jim McCuaig, Norman Bethune Allan, Charles Taylor, Stedmond Pardy, Jeff Cottrill, Harry Briggs, John Charles Daly, and Bänoo Zan for sharing a portion of their oeuvre - a frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! [S]He chortled in joy!

Bryllyg (derived from the verb to bryl or broil) -the time of broiling dinner, i.e., the close of the afternoon. (Lewis Carroll’s definition)
Frabjous -wonderful, elegant, superb, or delicious.
Callooh! Callay! -are exclamations of joy and are equivalent to 'hurrah' and 'hooray'.

Check out the Picasa album: Poetry Salons at Urban Gallery for everyone's names.

                                                 




direct link: May 2015 Poetry Salon

A video of the afternoon. The order of appearance. At YouTube, if you click on the time the video should start at that person's piece. Otherwise, move the playhead to the person you'd like to hear.

1. Feng Zhou 0:50
2. Jim McCuaig 5:30
3. Norman Allan 14:37
4. Jeff Cottrill 19:52
5. Charles Taylor 23:51
6. Stedmond Pardy 30:55
7. Brenda Clews 37:38
8. Kath MacLean 40:20
9. John Charles Daly 1:17:43
10. Harry Briggs 1:23:50
11. Bänoo Zan 1:30:31
12. Joani Paige 1:35:17

[The intro and ending need some theme music - it has to be entirely free, a gift, and forever, no turning it into a track and posting on CD Baby or iTunes or anywhere commercial because then I get hit with a copyright violation and ads get slapped on videos that I have worked long and hard on even if the original agreement with the musician was Creative Commons Licensed - please note: I make no money from organizing and hosting Salons or from the photos and videos I offer as mementos of these events.]

KATH MACLEAN Is a Toronto multi - media artist and educator. She writes poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, critical reviews, performance poetry, drama & film and has performed her work throughout Canada and the United States. Her most recent work is Kat Among the Tigers (2011), poetry based on the journals & correspondence of Katherine Mansfield, & its accompanying poetryvideo, Doo-Da-Doo-Da, which won her the “Best of Fest” at its first national & international screening. Inspired by the writing of Robert Kroetsch, MacLean’s poetry was short- listed for the Robert Kroetsch Innovative Poetry Award in 2012, the same year she received the inaugural Anne Green Award for her excellence & innovation in film, poetry, & performance. In 2013 she was Writer in Residence at the Mackie House for Kalamalka Press, and she is the current WIR at the Al Purdy A-frame in Ameliasburgh.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist, JOANI PAIGE, captures audiences with passionate performances of acoustic alternative, rock, blues, roots and a hint of the psychedelic, weaving tales with a little grit, a little class and a lot of heart.

"A whiskey huskey twang on target with a big city muse", JoAnne Light

Along the way Joani has received numerous awards including a nomination for Best Unreleased Song of the Year in Nashville, FACTOR, NXNE performance, and Finalist on FM96 ONTracks. She has appeared on TV as well as a song on Biker TV, vocals in a rock opera, music in art video(s) by award winning artist, Tony Miller, internet radio airplay, on charts in Germany, airplay for several songs, contributions as vocalist/writer/producer on other's projects (including a techno house project), as well as live performances. She has almost 200 songs to date and continues to write. Her travels and experiences have brought her to share the stage and studio with many talented musicians/artists/writers/actors.

When not on the musical stage Joani can be found acting, writing a novel "The Beautiful Crazies", or basking in art and nature at Bliss Studio........... and, of course, writing new tunes.

_____________
hosted and videoed by Brenda Clews - http://brendaclews.com