In celebration of National Poetry Month during April, Koerner Library will host a trio of local poets for a sumptuous night of food and verse.
RSVP to this free and special event, which takes place on Wednesday, April 9 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; readings will be held on the third floor (main floor) of Koerner Library, near the fireplace.
Please join us and enjoy readings from:
Kevin McNeilly, UBC
Kevin McNeilly writes poetry and critical non-fiction, and collaborates with creative musicians on text-based performances and recordings. His first collection of poems, Embouchure, appeared from Nightwood Editions in 2011. His poems have appeared in such journals as Canadian Literature, Event, Malahat Review, West Coast Line, Antigonish Review, Fiddlehead, Descant and Ariel.
Renee Saklikar, SFU
Renée Sarojini Saklikar writes thecanadaproject, a life-long poem chronicle about her life from India to Canada, from coast to coast. Work from thecanadaproject has appeared in literary publications including the Georgia Straight, Vancouver Review, PRISM international, Poetry is Dead, SubTerrain, Ricepaper, CV2, Ryga: a journal of provocations, Geist and Arc Poetry Magazine and is forthcoming in the recent anthologies, Alive at the Center: Contemporary Poems from the Pacific Northwest and Force Field: 77 Women Poets of British Columbia.
One of the unsung forces in Vancouver of poetic prowess and community building is Elee Kraljii Gardiner. She is an adjunct member of the Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University and a freelance writer who teaches creative writing at the Carnegie Community Centre. She is the director of “Thursdays Writing Collective” and the founder of Otter Press.
To celebrate the poetic spirit, Koerner Library will host a game from April 1-18. Patrons are invited to visit a magnetic poetry board near Koerner’s main floor staircase, come up with a poem, and tweet or Facebook a picture of their effort to win a prize – please send poems to @UBCLibrary (Twitter) or UBC Library’s Facebook page, accompanied by the hashtag #NationalPoetryMonth.
National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets. The concept is to widen the attention of individuals and the media – to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern.