Verses Festival of Words

08/02/2026

07/15/2026

Our friends at are featuring so many friends and legends tomorrow at Waterfront Theatre! Worth the visit so make it happen folks!

05/21/2026

Thank you all for joining us for the 2026 Verses Festival of Words!

Whether you were a participating artist, performer, or an audience member, we are grateful for your presence as it is a reminder of the importance of sharing moments of joy and creativity together. This year’s theme “Intimate Dialogues” marks the culmination of a four year vision of Executive Artistic Director, Johnny D Trinh. Upon the return of in-person programming, the focus of the festival has been centred around gathering, community, shared learning, amplifying voices in solidarity, and being in space together. Intimate Dialogues examines the ways in which we share connections, consume content, and whisper resilience in the face of global silencing and genocide.

We look forward to staying connected with you throughout the year, so stay tuned to what’s coming next!

05/01/2026

REMINDER: The Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Final is tomorrow! 📢

Don’t miss out as 12 of the best poets from across the country come together to determine this year’s champion 🏆

Headliner poet SPIN El Poeta () will also be performing a feature set as we close out this year’s Verses Festival of Words.

Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Finals featuring SPIN El Poeta
🗓️ May 2 (Sat) 8–10pm
🎟️ Advance $10 or by donation | At the door $15 or pay what you can

04/30/2026

We may be heading into the last stretch of this year’s Verses Festival of Words, but there’s still several exciting events to look forward to!

Projected Poems features Sheri-D Wilson (), Fiona Tinwei Lam (), Brandon Wint (), and Heather Haley () discussing the artform of spoken word and sharing highlights of their work. The artists will also provide insights on best practices when engaging in film, collaborating with production teams, and various components of production and distribution, followed by a Q&A session.

The Stage to Page Showcase brings together poets Abdulsalam (.ash), Jeremy Loveday (.jeremy), Skylar Kay (.yyc), Amber Dawn (), and Clifton Joseph (). Come out for a session filled with craft and performance you won’t want to miss by Stage to Page Performance Society.

Projected Poems: The Practice and Evolution of Poetry in Film and Video
🗓️ May 2 (Sat) 11:30am–1:30pm
🎟️ Advance $10 or by donation | At the door $10 or pay what you can

Stage to Page Showcase: Intimate Dialogues
🗓️ May 2 (Sat) 3–4:30pm
🎟️ Advance $10 or by donation | At the door $15 or pay what you can

04/29/2026

This year’s Mashed Poetics featured artists are Tegan and Sara — join us for a fun-filled night of loud music and deep poetry as poets share new work inspired by 10 of the iconic duo’s songs, performed live by “The Con.” Check out this year’s lineup:

Side A
Stop Desire – Anjalica Solomon ()
The Con – Skylar Kay (.yyc)
I Bet It Stung – Isabella Wang
Call It Off – Nevaeh North
Hell – Allie Cristoffanini

Side B
My Number – Amber Dawn ()
Where Did the Good Go – Sonnet L’Abbé ()
Back in Your Head – Wilhelmina Salmi
Living Room – Shauna Paull
Closer – Kay Fraser (.roots)

Mashed Poetics: Verses 2026 Edition
🗓️ May 1 (Fri) 8–10:30pm
🎟️ Advance $10 | At the door $15 or pay what you can

04/29/2026

Join award-winning Alberta-based poet Skylar Kay (.yyc) for a special writing workshop, presented as part of Verses 2026 programming. This is a great opportunity to share your work and receive feedback from Skylar and fellow poets in a supportive environment.

More about Skylar:
Skylar Kay is an Alberta-based poet and grad school dropout. Since releasing her debut collection, Transcribing Moonlight (Frontenac House 2022), she has moved back home to Calgary where she looks for the magic in everyday life. Her debut collection was well-received, earning a shortlist nod for the League of Canadian Poets’ Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for Poetry, and won the Book Publishers Association of Alberta’s Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry. Her second collection, There’s Magic Here Too (Frontenac House), released in fall 2025.

Writing Workshop led by Skylar Kay
🗓️ Apr 30 (Thurs) 2–4pm
📍 Chill X Studio (.jpg) at 2270 Manitoba St.
🎟️ Advance $10 | At the door $15 or pay what you can

04/28/2026

Have you ever considered the ways in which descriptive subtitles and poetry could intersect? Join us for this participatory workshop facilitated by Vancouver Poet Laureate Elee Kraljii Gardiner (), Elana Brief () and Dani Rodriguez to experiment with creating closed captions that transmit mood and flavour, and perhaps open new pathways into poetic practice.

By incorporating associative language, surrealism, and other tactics, participants will respond to samples of live acoustic fiddle and recorded sound. This playful and positive workshop is for anyone curious and willing to share knowledge.

Un-Closing Captions: possibilities for descriptive text
🗓️ Apr 29 (Wed) 3–5pm
📍 Chill X Studio (.jpg) at 2270 Manitoba St.
🎟️ Advance $10 or by donation | At the door $10 or pay what you can

04/28/2026

🎙️Verses 2026 Headliner: SPIN El Poeta🎙️

Headlining this year’s event is SPIN El Poeta (), who is known for performances that fuse political clarity with deep emotional intelligence. Through his work, he explores migration, masculinity, healing and Immigrant–Indigenous friendship with precision and urgency. You can see feature performances from him at the CIPS Final taking place at Chill X Studio (.jpg):

Canadian Individual Poetry Slam FINALS featuring Spin El Poeta
🗓️ May 2 (Sat) 8–10pm
🎟️ Advance $10 | At the door $15 or pay what you can

04/24/2026

🎙️Verses Festival of Words welcomes Dub Poet legend Clifton Joseph🎙️

We’re excited to announce that the one and only Clifton Joseph () will be holding a 1-day only masterclass on Friday May 1st, hosted by Vancouver Poetry House Artistic Director Johnny Trinh ().

Clifton will be sharing his insights on career, process, creation, and performance, and participating poets will also have the chance to share work, receive feedback, andworkshop various techniques. The masterclass will close with a facilitated dialogue and Q&A.

More about Clifton:
Dubzz/poet/at/large Clifton Joseph is a poet and journalist who has written for television, radio, newspapers, magazines and the internet. A founding member of the dub poetry movement in Canada, he has published the book of poems “Metropolitan Blues,” and album of poetry and music “Oral Trans/Missions,” the videos “Pimps” and “(Survival) In the City,” as well as a numerous single dub poetry releases like “A Chant For Monk,” “That Night In Tunisia,” and “Shots On Eglinton.”

He has performed widely across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and the Caribbean. His poems have been included in a number of written and audio anthologies, including “Poetry Nation” and “Word Up,” Virgin Records’ compilation of North American performance poets.

Among Clifton’s accolades are two Gemini Awards for Best Writing in an Information Program or Series; a Time-Warner “Freddies” Award for excellence in health reporting; a Silver Fleece Award from the Chicago International Film Festival; and the Best Dub Poet Award and the Peter Tosh Memorial Award from the Canadian Reggae Music Awards.

🗓️ May 1 (Fri) 11am–1pm
📍Joy Kogawa House (.kogawa.house) at 1450 West 64th Ave
🎟️ Advance tickets starting at $8 at vancouverpoetryhouse.com