The Planet Earth Poetry reading series is a launching pad for the energies of writers and poets established and not. It is a place where words are most important. A venue in which all manner of poets and writers are welcome; a place for excellence, innovation, collaboration, diverse projects and experiments. The evening begins at 7:30 with an open mic, followed by a featured reader(s). Planet Earth Poetry is located at Hillside Coffee and Tea, 1633 Hillside Ave (across from Bolen Books). Between 7 and 7:15, put your name in the hat to read at open mic.

friDAY, july 21, 2017

andrea mckenzie raine & suzannah showler

Andrea McKenzie Raine was born in Smithers, BC and grew up in Victoria, BC where she still resides. She has attended Planet Earth Poetry (formerly known as Mocambopo) since 1997. In 2005, she published her first book of poetry, titled A Mother’s String, through Ekstasis Editions. Her poetry has also appeared in Mocambo Nights, Canadian Literature, Quills, Borderlines (Ascent Aspirations magazine), Tempus (Rubicon Press), Poems from Planet Earth (Leaf Press), Tongues of Fire and several chapbooks edited by Patrick Lane (Leaf Press). Raine has also published two novels through Inkwater Press: Turnstiles is her debut novel and her second novel, A Crowded Heart, is a prequel to Turnstiles. She lives with her husband and two young sons.

A Year of Mornings is a collection of ghazals that are quiet meditations on the early moments of each day, enveloped by themes exploring relationships, seasons, daily life, writing, as well as projections of hopeful dreams. These ghazals are reflected in accompanying illustrations to enrich the experience of these thoughts and happenings.

Suzannah Showler is the author of the poetry collections Thing Is (McClelland & Stewart, 2017) and Failure to Thrive (ECW, 2014). Her poetry and nonfiction have appeared places like Slate, Buzzfeed, The Walrus, and Hazlitt. Most Dramatic Ever, a book of cultural criticism about The Bachelor, is forthcoming spring 2018. A 2017–2018 Presidential Fellow at The Ohio State University, she is currently living in British Columbia.

FRIDAY, august 25, 2017

arthur joyce &
blair trewartha

Sean Arthur Joyce, better known in the Kootenays as Art Joyce, has published two books of regional history and in 2014 published Laying the Children’s Ghosts to Rest: Canada’s Home Children in the West (Hagios Press) on the little-known historical phenomenon of the 100,000 poor children exported from the UK to work as indentured child labourers on Canadian farms.

Joyce’s poems and essays on poetics have appeared in Canadian, American and British literary journals. In 2016 his poetics thesis, A New Romanticism for the 21st Century, appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Canadian Poetry from the University of Western Ontario. His poetry has appeared in several anthologies, both Canadian and international.

New Orphic Publishers of Nelson, BC has published three collections of his poetry, The Charlatans of Paradise, Star Seeds, and The Price of Transcendence, the latter edited by renowned Canadian poet Tom Wayman, who calls it “a first class collection.”

In 2016 he produced his second poetry video, Dead Crow: Prologue, with music soundtrack composed by Noel Fudge and video production by Isaac Carter of ICandy Films.

Blair Trewartha is the author of two chapbooks: Break In (Cactus Press, 2010) and Porcupine Burning (Baseline Press, 2012). His poetry has appeared in Carousel, Prism, Event, Existere, and Contemporary Verse 2. Currently residing in London, Ontario, Blair is an active member of Poetry London and a poetry editor for Anstruther Press.  His debut full-length collection of poetry, Easy Fix (Palimpsest Press, 2014), was shortlisted for the 2015 ReLit award, and his poem “Breach” received honourable mention in Arc's 2016 Poem of the Year contest.

FRIDAY, september 2017

Watch for our new season of weekly Friday night poetry

Artistic Director Daniel Scott and the Bees are busy finalizing a season of fantastic readers and poetic magic. Stay tuned!