People's Poetry

DATE: 08/23/2011 03:23:10 AM ----- 
Driving home from my sister's farm last week, Mom and I were listening to CBC describe the veritable plenty of activities to take in in Calgary on the weekend. All of the items on the "things to do" menu sounded great, but it was exhausting just hearing them rattled off one after another; by the time the radio segment was over, I thought I would probably just stay in (as usual).  Yet, as Saturday rolled past,  I started thinking how a lot of the events described on the air were various ways of inviting people to participate in the life of their community, and several of them included opportunities to connect with each other through creative activities; so yesterday I dragged myself out the door to enjoy the Sunday sunshine and I am so glad I did! Out of all the choices that lay before me: ReggaeFest, GlobalFest, the People's Poetry Festival, new exhibits at the Glenbow and Art Gallery of Calgary, X-Fest, Bow River Flow, Calgary Wellness Festival, ..., you can guess which one I chose...
The People's Poetry Festival was conceived as a small "let's do it ourselves" event by a couple poet/artists in town. They wanted to showcase the local poetry and spoken word scene, as well as promote the accessibility of poetry. The main goal of the festival is to send the message that, "poetry is not something mysterious to be left for English majors and sophisticates.  It builds on the understanding that poetry is simply a creative use of words to express ourselves with the potential of connection to other people and building community." Thanks to some generous sponsors for providing supplies and venues, and the Calgary's ubiquitous "volunteer spirit" it was free!
The event lasted for 3 days, and included opportunities to read, write, watch, hear, paint, speak and think about the beauty, fun and potential of words. In the short hour-and-a-half that I was there, I experienced the familar shopping district in a totally new way: I read offbeat poems scrawled on alley walls, pinned a haiku to a poeTREE, added to a poem someone started on a vintage typewriter, spied some folks comfortably "silent reading" on a sidewalk-couch, perused "the People's Journal", and collaged one of my favourite words (GAZEBO) on a wall. I was struck by the diversity of ways people participated: some dove right in, some watched from a distance with puzzled expressions, some asked many questions, and some timidly made their mark; a variety of ages, cultures, and ethnicities played along, and everyone I saw was having a great time!
On my way home, I realized this is EXACTLY the kind of thing I want this blog to be about and I am kicking myself for not seeing more, taking photos, and writing things down. I asked if it was going to become an annual event, and the organizer said "It started as this small little idea, and it just sort of took off! I hope somebody takes it on next year!" I hope so too. - jn
DATE: 08/23/2011 04:37:54 AM
The People's Poetry Festival website can be found at http://peoplespoetryfestival.com
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