The Factory Reading Series + The League of Canadian Poets

Since the League of Canadian Poets is holding their annual AGM in Ottawa this year on June 9-11, the newly-designed Factory Reading Series re-opens in its new location at The Ottawa Art Gallery as a "League warmup" with four startlingly good Canadian poets:

Leanne Averbach (Vancouver/New York)
Margaret Christakos (Toronto)
bill bissett (Toronto/Vancouver)
Max Middle (Ottawa)

7pm, free; The Ottawa Art Gallery, main floor, the Arts Court Building, 2 Daly (at Nicholas) (map here)
lovingly hosted by rob mclennan

Author bios:

Leanne Averbach is a text and performance poet who lives and writes in Vancouver and New York. Her first volume of poetry, fever, was released in Spring 2005 by Toronto's Mansfield Press, and she has released a companion CD, also entitled fever. Averbach has performed her poems with jazz musicians in Italy, Canada and New York City, and her work has been published in literary magazines such as The Fiddlehead, Descant, Antigonish Review, Washington Square, Dalhousie Review, Poetry New Zealand and The New Quarterly.

Margaret Christakos has published six collections of poetry and a novel, and will be launching her STANZAS issue "Far," published by Ottawa's above/ground press. She lives far out in Toronto, on the world of the other side. You can find her recent books of poetry if you visit the indy bookstore in your town, or check out:
Coach House Books, www.chbooks.com
Apollinaire's Bookshoppe, www.bookthug.ca
Nomados Press, www.interchange.ubc.ca/quarterm/nomados.htm

bill bissett has garnered international attention since the 1960s as a preeminent figure in the counter-culture movement. The publisher/editor of blewointment press from 1964 into the early 1980s, over sixty of his books have been published over the years, predominantly by Vancouver's Talonbooks. A highly charged performer, he incorporates sound poetry, chanting and singing and remains one of the pioneers of the form. He currently writes and paints out of studios in Vancouver and Toronto, and a book of tributes to bissett has just been released with Nightwood/blewointment press, the anthology radiant danse uv being: a poetic portrait of bill bissett, edited by Jeff Pew and Stephen Roxborough.

Max Middle lives & works in Ottawa, Canada where he has been involved in many projects which have as their fulcrum a practice of poetry or m a k i n g . u p, among them the Max Middle Sound Project. He read in the 2006 Ottawa International Writers Festival as a member of the recently formed literary performance troupe, Deasil & Widdershins. You can find his contributions to the Ottawa Poetry Podcast at http://ottawapoetry.libysn.com. His work appears in Shift & Switch: New Canadian Poetry (Mercury Press, 2005). On 24 September 2005, he assisted jwcurry in the execution of Messagio Galore take II <photos.johnwmacdonald.com>. On 28 February 2006, he launched flow march n powder blossom s (above/ground press), in a TREE (a reading series) in Ottawa. He continues to publish & exhibit visual poetry. Reach him at www.maxmiddle.com

sponsored by span-o (the small press action network - ottawa; cleaning out yr literary clogs since 1996) and The Ottawa Art Gallery; thanks both to them for providing space and much love, and to The League of Canadian Poets for providing funding.

The League of Canadian Poets, June 9-11, 2006, OTTAWA

If you are interested in participating in any part of the League AGM, all events are free and open to the public, with the exception of the Awards Gala and business meetings. Here are some of the highlights of the weekend, if you want to show up:

BOOK LAUNCH: June 10, 9pm at The Royal Oak, 221 Echo Drive
with readings by M.E. Csamer, Elizabeth Green, Shirley A. Serviss, Rhona McAdam, Maria Jacobs, Sarah Klassen and Carolyn Zonailo

BOOK LAUNCH: June 11, 3pm at Mother Tongue Books, 1067 Bank Street at Sunnyside
for Re:Generations - Canadian Women Poets in Conversation

PANELS: June 9, June 10, National Library of Canada, 156 Wellington Street, Rooms 154, 156

Japanese Poetic Forms
Panelists include George Swede, Dina Cox and Maxianne Berger

Life Under A Laureate's Wreath
Panelists include National poet laureate Pauline Michel, Saskatchewan poet laureate Louise B. Halfe and Halifax laureate Lorri Nielson Glenn and Edmonton laureate Alice Major

Poetry, Spirituality & Mental Health
Panelists include Ronna Bloom, Shirley Serviss and Ron Charach

Our Sisters in Spirit, Feminist Caucus
Panelists include Gloria Alvernaz Mulcahy, Marianne Micros and Penn Kemp

for more detailed information on this years agm, check here, call 416 504 1657 or readings@poets.ca