New Tradition...

...poets do their best Axl Rose dance during post-reading conversation.

Poet John McDonald (standing/dancing) on stage with Gary Barwin, Angela Rawlings, and host, rob mclennan. One day I will compile an animated gif. Let me know if you actually want to see this.

Take me down
To the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Take me home

-Guns N' Roses

With two more days left of the spring edtions, the poetry cabaret #2 was a fine way to finish off a week of readings. Angela Rawlings' performance was breathtaking - literally. She read from her new book Wide Slumber for Lepidopterists, published by Coach House Books. Sweet Jesus! Her "a hoosh a ha" poem was thrilling to say the least. Gary Barwin read from, among other works, his latest, frogments from the frag pool: haiku after basho. Worth a read, it's a trip. He wrote this book with Derek Beaulieu and it's published by The Mercury Press. John McDonald's 2004 book, The Glass Lodge, is published by Kegedonce Press. He's not as shy on stage as you would think.

Today's set is huge to say the least. Starting at noon, the festival runs all day till late evening with seven (7) reading sets including a Beckett film. As it is also Earth Day, you may want to check out the associated events which include readings by authors Tim Flannery, Karsten Heuer, Fred Pearce, Wayne Grady, Terry Glavin, and Elizabeth May. Chances are likely that large crowds are expected to attend Paul Muldoon's 6pm reading. Get there early.