Fall Into Events!

Hi friends! Happy September! Happy Back-to-School! Happy hot as ball* weather! Fall’s a comin’…and I’m ready for it. I’ve already started watching some of my favourite fall films: The Goonies, Julie & Julia…Nostalgia for pretty much everything school related from my childhood runs thick. You too? I bought two packs of Crayola markers. I had to. Later today, I’ll be heading to the library to get a stack of books to read. And, if you’re interested, we can’t get enough Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix. Have you watched A Quiet Place or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (or read the book for that matter?!)? I’m five episodes in on Outlander. Hawt dawg. #canna The books are incredible too!

With the fall season comes many wonderful events! Also, many grants and writing contests have submission deadlines in the fall. I’ll give some lists below (neither are exhaustive…that would be exhausting).

Local Events

Thursday, September 6 – Saturday, September 8, 2018

Scattered Ecstasies – This year featuring the poetry collected ‘Because We Have All Lived Here’ (Black Moss Press, 2017). Once again, artists: visual, literary, actors, musicians – gather to lift poetry off pages and wow audiences. Cool Fact: both me (poetry) and my sister (painting), Danah Beaulieu, are participating in this year’s event! #creativesisters

Click HERE for the details. This is a ticketed event. $25.00

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

How-To-Do-A-Poetry Reading Workshop | 6pm – 8pm @ Budimir Library – Featuring Vanessa Shields (me!) and Samantha Badoa and the Windsor Poetry Slammers! *FREE EVENT*

LET US KNOW YOU’RE COMING VIA FACEBOOK! Click HERE!

MOUTH PIECE STORYTELLING – MASTER MOUTH OFF EVENT

Friday, September 21, 2018 – 7pm – 10pm @ Villains Baestro – Master Mouth Piece’s from the 2017 season compete for the coveted Master Mouth Off Trophy! Featuring The Miceli Twins as musical guests and Dameon Wilburn as our Guest Storyteller. Teajai Travis and Jodi Nelitz (the current champion!) judge! Join us for live music, incredible storytelling and cupcakes. Yes. Cupcakes.

Carlinda D’Alimonte celebrates her new poetry book ‘Morning Song’ (Black Moss Press) with a launch on Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 2pm at The Bourbon on Ottawa Street. Click HERE for the Facebook Page!

Poetry at the Manor is on Tuesday, October 2, 2018. Arrive early to get a seat! Check out this LINK for all the wonderful details!

By the end of this week…I’ll have all the fancy offerings from Gertrude’s Writing Room! Workshops and classes – oh my!

Culture Days event abound! Click HERE to take a look at what Windsor is offering this year!

Check out the Ontario Arts Council website and your NOVA account for details about the upcoming Literary Grant Deadlines. I’ll be applying for Literary Creation Projects (previously Works-In-Progress grant). The deadline is October 18, 2018.

The Ontario Poetry Society is calling for submissions for its annual Arborealis Prize! Details below: Deadline: September 30 (post-marked).

Only a few weeks left to enter. Don’t miss out on your chance to win cash prizes, fancy certificates and publication. Over 50 prizes to be awarded.
The Ontario Poetry Society
~ Arborealis Prize for Poetry Contest 2018 ~
Open to all poets living in Canada
First Prize $200 – Second Prize $150 – Third Prize $100
Two – $50 Honourable Mention Awards
Two – $25 Judge’s Choice Awards
All prize winning entries plus up to 50 additional Runners Up will be published in
Arborealis, our perfect bound anthology of Canadian contemporary poetry.
All poets whose work is selected for the book will receive one free copy of the anthology.
Theme – The People’s Poetry Tradition:
Milton Acorn’s poetry defines the People’s Poetry Tradition. Subtle in his emotions,
his power and directness come from images drawn from everyday island life.
Dedicated to the class struggle, Acorn peopled his poems with working men and women
of the visage of Canada, and paid unceasing tribute to their suffering,
their humble crafts and their utter reliability.
With an authentic working-class voice, Acorn’s poetry reflects the uncanny ability
to replicate the nuance and cadence of everyday speech
so that the delicacy of his imagery is also fraught with the wrath of hardship.
Entry Fee
$20 for up to 4 poems. Additional poems $5 each.
There is no limit to the number of submissions per poet.
Rules and Guidelines:
All styles welcome in the People’s Poetry Tradition.
Poems must be unpublished and not sent elsewhere.
Poems not to exceed 72 lines and the stanza breaks count as lines.
The poem title does not count, nor does the space between the title and the first line of the poem.
Blind Judging:
Author’s name is not to appear anywhere on the same page(s) as the poem(s), back or front.
Kindly attach a cover page with author’s name, complete contact information
and poem title(s) or first line(s) if no title(s).
Deadline:
Entries to be post marked on or before Sept. 30, 2018
Send submissions with contest entry fee payable to
The Ontario Poetry Society
#710 – 65 Spring Garden Ave.,
Toronto, Ontario M2N 6H9
Contest Judge and Compiler is John B. Lee