Diverse lineup of poets announced for
VERSEFest 2019
Ottawa, ON – February 15, 2019
– VERSeFest, Ottawa’s International
Poetry Festival, will return for its ninth annual edition March 26 - 31, 2019,
showcasing more than 80 poets from six countries.
With the largest lineup
in the festival’s history, VERSeFest will feature seven days of poetry, spoken
word, and music across genres, cultures, and international borders in both
English and French. For the first time, VERSeFest will host a pre-festival launch event, which will take
place at City Hall on March 23rd,
where Ottawa’s two new poet laureates will also be announced.
Over 80 poets have been
confirmed, including Canadian icon and best-selling children’s author Dennis Lee; the youngest ever Griffin
Poetry Prize winner Billy-Ray Belcourt;
sound poet and maracas-shaking musician bill
bissett; the politically astute Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg poet and artist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson; one of
Acadia’s most prominent and prolific poets, playwrights, and visual artists -- Herménégilde Chiasson; and Danish poet Ursula Andkjær Olsen, who is also known
for her dramatic texts and libretti.
Local Ottawa poets to take the stage will include the festival’s first poet-in-residence Amal el Mohtar, as well as Gilles Latour, Deanna Young, David O'Meara, Cameron Anstee, and Julie Huard.
“VERSeFest is Canada’s
largest and most important bilingual poetry festival, and provides a unique and
rich outlet for the community to share and grow their passion for poetry and spoken
word,” said City of Ottawa Mayor Jim
Watson. “VERSeFest...highlights the best poetry from around the world while
fostering a creative, inclusive, diverse and accessible environment for both
performers and patrons.”
According to Festival Director Monty Reid, “This is the biggest festival we’ve ever put together
with international guests coming from Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Germany, and
the USA. We’re excited to not only have the opportunity to host some legendary
poets this year, but also to expose our audience to outstanding emerging
talent.”
Ottawa’s growing
identity as a poetry town reflects in the dozen reading series that make up the
collective behind the festival’s umbrella organization VERSe Ottawa. Over 2,000
festival goers are expected to attend readings taking place at Knox
Presbyterian Church, alongside a school program and a selection of
Gatineau-based events. Musical guests will be featured at select events, and
visitors will have the chance to take in the art exhibit concrete is porous, featuring 47 works by 24 Canadian poets.
In 2017, VERSe Ottawa
and the City of Ottawa reinstated the Poet Laureate Program.
There are two current Ottawa poet laureates – one English, one French – each
appointed to serve a two-year term. Their mandate is to act as Ottawa’s
artistic ambassadors, to promote the literary arts, and to advance Ottawa’s
unique voice in the world.
STAY UPDATED
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On Twitter at https://twitter.com/verseottawa
On YouTube at: https://goo.gl/y14jLS
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/verseottawa
On Twitter at https://twitter.com/verseottawa
On YouTube at: https://goo.gl/y14jLS
MEDIA CONTACTS
Monty Reid, Festival
Director: director@versefest.ca
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