Even more big news…

30 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Special Events

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It’s been a busy few months over here at PPF central. We’ve been working with a lot of great groups to make this year’s festival even better than the last! Not only did we recently host a fantastic poetry bomb-making workshop at Caffe Rosso with our friends at Yelp! Calgary, but we’re thrilled to announce two more special events!

Calgary Reads
The 11th annual Calgary Reads–Calgary’s largest used book sale–returns Friday, May 10 to Sunday, May 12 at the Calgary Curling Club, 720 3rd St. NW. This year, Calgary Reads is paying special attention to everyone’s favorite rhyming (or not rhyming) literary artform: Poetry! Representatives from the PPF will be on-site during all three days of the sale to share a little poetry at one of our DIY Poetry Stations. And what did you think all those poetry bombs were for? Come on down and make one yourself or grab one for a friend!

The book sale runs all weekend:
Friday, May 10 Noon to 8pm
Saturday, May 11 9am to 6pm
Sunday, May 12 9am to 4pm
Admission: $2 for adults; kids are free!
You can find out more online: http://www.calgaryreads.com and on Twitter: @CalgaryReads, or follow the hashtag #calgaryreads for updates.

We’ll also be helping out at the Calgary Reads volunteer appreciation night on Wednesday, May 8. PPF alumni Wakefield Brewster (2011 Poet of Honour), Erin Dingle (2011, 2012) and Bryan McLean (2011, 2012) will take the mic along side Calgary’s own Poet Laureate, Kris Demeanor, and the Heebee-jeebees to celebrate the many fanastic volunteers who make Calgary Reads a success each year. Speaking of volunteers…

Calgary Timeraiser
We’re thrilled to be taking part in the 8th annual Calgary Timerasier! The yearly event, held at Flames Central (219 8 Ave SW on Stephen Avenue), matches interested inviduals with volunteer opportunities. And we’ve got lots of volunteer opportunities! This year, the PPF is looking to fill a number of roles: volunteer coordinator, treasurer, fund development coordinator, archivist, equipment manager, technical assistant, and a variety of special event volunteers. Volunteers place silent aution bids on locally-created works of art, but instead of bidding with their money, they bid their time. This year, we’re excited to be one of the many fantastic not-for-profit organizations auctioning off a work of art and a volunteer position.

The 2012 Timeraiser takes place Thursday, June 13, and tickets to attend go on sale tomorrow (May 1):

  • 7:00 pm Doors Open to public
  • 7:05 pm Volunteer Matching Begins
  • 8:00 pm Bidding Begins
  • 8:30 pm Past Winners Acknowledged
  • 9:00 pm Bidding Ends
  • 9:30 pm Hours Announced

For more information, visit http://www.timeraiser.ca/calgary.html, or follow on Twitter, @timeraiseryyc or the hashtag #timeraiseryyc. In the meantime, if you–or someone you know–is interested in volunteering with PPF, visit our Volunteer page for more information and to submit an application.

Poetry submissions open April 30!

29 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in Submissions

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It’s official! The 2013 People’s Poetry Festival will begin accepting poetry submissions on Tuesday, April 30! Are you interested in having your poem turned into a piece of poetic graffiti to be showcased during the 2013 festival? Then we want you! Visit our Poetry Submissions page for more information, and to download a 2013 Poetry Submission Form. Submissions close 5:00pm (MST) on Thursday, May 30, 2013, so get those poems in!

poetry-prompts-rant

Poetry bombing is a blast!

29 Monday Apr 2013

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We had a great afternoon of poetry bomb-making yesterday. On Sunday, April 28, we teamed up with our friends at Yelp! Calgary and Caffe Rosso to host our first poetry bomb-making workshop of 2013. It was a fantastic day filled with fun, friends, poetry and crafts. Oh, and coffee. Thanks to our friends at Yelp!, each poetry bomber received some great, free Yelp! swag (lip balms? Nail files? Buttons?) and their first coffee, tea or sparkly non-alcoholic beverage for free! Over the course of three hours, our visiting crafters made more than 80 poetry bombs! Many were taken to be distributed and the rest will hang out all over Calgary. If you spot one, take a photo and tweet it to us, or post it on our Facebook page! We had so much fun, and were thrilled to have several first-time poets with us, including Echo and Emma, ages 8 and 9, who wrote their very own poems just to bomb!

More than 80 poetry bombs!

More than 80 poetry bombs!

Echo8Original poem by Emma, age 9

Poetry bombs for all!

11 Thursday Apr 2013

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It’s that time of year again! (It’s always that time of year for The PPF…). Join us Sunday, April 28th, as we celebrate National Poetry Month with a poetry bomb crafting workshop. We’ll provide the crafting supplies–everything you’ll need to make beautiful, creative poetry bombs. Choose from our pre-selected pieces of poetry, write your own, or bring your favorite poems along to share. Come on out to this free, family-friendly, all ages event:

When: Sunday, April 28, 2013; 1:00 to 4:00pm
Where: Caffe Rosso Victoria Park, 425 11 Ave SE

As the 2013 People’s Poetry Festival draws nearer, we want your help to spread poetry in Calgary. During National Poetry Month, help us share poetry with friends and strangers alike! For more information, contact peoplespoetryfestival@gmail.com. See you on the 28th!

poetrybomb2

Volunteer positions: We’re looking for you!

28 Thursday Mar 2013

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You know that The People’s Poetry Festival only exists because of the thoughtful donations of time and effort–and often, money–of our volunteers. Well, as we approach another festival, and we keep growing and growing, we’re looking to fill a variety of volunteer positions!

Check out our Volunteer page for details about the following positions and how you can apply!

  • Volunteer Coordinator
  • Treasurer
  • Fund Development Coordinator
  • Archivist
  • Equipment Manager
  • Technical Assistant
  • Special Event Volunteer (multiple availabilities)

 

Lots of fun on the horizon

28 Thursday Mar 2013

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Our Dead of Winter Parlor was a smashing success! Zombies! Romance! And tea! Thank you to everyone who joined us four our first event of the year.

We’ve got lots of fun events on the horizon, too. We can’t give you all the details just yet, but it involves poetry, and poetry bombs, and Dr. Seuss, and lots and lots of books! So stay tuned.

We’ll also soon be finalizing the details for our first poetry bomb making event of the season. Save the date for Saturday, April 6, and watch our Facebook page, Twitter feed and website for more details!

Dead of Winter Parlor: Sunday, February 24

05 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Events, Open Mic, Special Events

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DeadofWinter

Join us, Sunday, February 24, 4-6pm upstairs at the Rose and Crown pub (1503 4th Street SW) for our first poetry event of the season: The Dead of Winter Parlor. Get ready for an afternoon of your favorite Victorian poets, some local contemporaries (to be announced soon) and even some undead romance! That’s right–where else are you going to find Victorian propreity and zombie romance? Nowhere!

Come dressed as yourself, your favorite Victorian poet, or your favorite zombie. Or even some combination of the three! And feel free to bring along your zombie/melancholy dead of winter poetry for our open mic portion.

*Note: This event is 18+ and pay-what-you-can.

For more information, or to RSVP, check us out on Facebook. We hope to see you there!

It’s only just 2013…

10 Thursday Jan 2013

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…and it’s already an exciting year for poetry and lit events in Calgary! We’re back for another great season of poetry, spoken word, writing, reading and more. There’s a lot on the horizon, so stay tuned here and to our Facebook page for upcoming events–we’ve got a few great things planned over the next few months! But in the meantime, one of our favorite events is just around the corner–the 2013 Writers’ Weekend at the Calgary Public Library. Here’s what’s on this year:

Writers’ Weekend 2013

Saturday February 2

10am-4pm

John Dutton Theatre, Central Library

Join us throughout the day for a wide variety of free presentations by local experts designed to educate and inspire.

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. My Story – Writing Memoir and Biography

Join Brian Brennan, acclaimed historian, best-selling author, and award-winning journalist as he discusses the art, craft, and fundamentals of memoir and biography writing.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Engaging An Audience Through Online Writing

Join Lonnie Taylor, Huffington Post Canada blogger, for an introduction to connecting to an audience through social media platforms in creative ways.

12:00 – 12:30 p.m. Ask the Editor

Join book editor Sandra McIntyre for an insightful question and answer session about what editors do and how publishing works.

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Ask the Writer

Join experienced writers Lori Hahnel, Naomi Lewis, and Debbie Willis for a dynamic question and answer session on the diverse elements of the writing process in the current publishing environment.

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Writing and Publishing your Children’s and YA Novel

Join acclaimed writer Simon Rose and learn how to turn ideas into stories, get started as a writer and get on the path to publication.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Covered – Clothing for your Book

Join Derek Mah, celebrated illustrator and book cover designer, for insight into the collaborative process required to achieve the perfect first impression for your book.

 Register in person, by calling 403.260.2620, or visit http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/services/programs-events?p=3067.

Thank you!

04 Sunday Nov 2012

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Well, PPF 2012 is long over-and-done, and now that things have slowed down a bit, we want to thank YOU. Yes, you–all you wonderful poets, performers, fans and friends who supported us and just plain came out to have fun. We had another great year, with even more events–like our Drunken Poets night, Erotica Writing Workshop and Poetry Cabaret–and we look forward to even bigger and better things in 2013!

Stay tuned in the coming months for events popping up in a coffee shop, library, pub or street corner near you between now and August 2013. The PPF will be out and about, making poetry and sharing poetry until the third annual festival. And we’ll be announcing the dates for PPF 2013 soon enough so watch for that as well.

In the meantime, please keep sharing your poetry with us, both here and on our Facebook page. And we’re always looking for a few good volunteers, so check out our Volunteer page for more details.

See you soon!

PPF 2012 starts TOMORROW…

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in Events, Media Coverage, The Idea

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… and we’re getting excited! Plus, we’ve had some pretty amazing media attention lately! What with interviews on CKUA, CJSW and CBC’s Homestretch, and articles in the Calgary Herald Neighbours section and FFWD Weekly, and blogged by Calgary 2012 and Calgary Culture! Thank you to all the media personalities who took an interest in our festival!

You can check out some of our recent media coverage here:

Friday, August 10, 2012: Calgary 2012 blog – Poetry in Calgary, you say?

Poetry speaks to each of us differently—a private conversation between the poet, the poem and ourselves. It’s the very nature of the art form. That voice which calls us to listen, respond, create. It’s not always warm and fuzzy, but poetry is all around us. And I don’t mean that in a lofty “Poetry is the breeze blowing through the trees” sort of way—though it’s certainly there. In Calgary, poetry really is all around us… more

Wednesday, August 15, 2012: CBC Homestretch — Poetry Festival

Shannon McClellan [McClennan] has won a GigYYC grant to present the People’s Poetry Festival at a number of venues in Calgary this weekend… more

Thursday, August 16, 2012: FFWD Weekly article — By the people, for the people

Last summer marked the launch of The People’s Poetry Festival (PFF), which ran along Kensington Road in numerous markets, cafés and pubs. It featured workshops, readings and do-it-yourself poetry stations where patrons could create an assortment of poems. Events varied from family-friendly to adults-only, creating a poetic environment with creative opportunities for a wide audience… more

Thursday, August 16, 2012: Calgary Culture website – Summer Festival Preview: The People’s Poetry Festival

Who knew Calgary had such a vibrant poetry community? The People’s Poetry Festival (PPF) combines poetry, spoken word and visual art to bring you three glorious days of celebrating street poetry in Calgary. And it’s FREE (but, like any non-profit operation, donations are always appreciated)… more

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