Press Release

Les Filles électriques
under the general and artistic direction of D. KIMM
present

the 2nd FESTIVAL VOIX D’AMÉRIQUES
a bilingual event dedicated to oral literature and spoken word
GUEST OF HONOUR: poet Patrice DESBIENS

Thursday, February 13 to Monday, February 17, 2003 in Montreal:
SALA ROSSA (4848, boulevard St-Laurent)
CASA DEL POPOLO (4873, boulevard St-Laurent)
SERGENT RECRUTEUR (4650, boulevard St-Laurent)

SIX CABARET EVENINGS IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH [6$]
AN OPENING NIGHT HAPPY HOUR WITH PATRICE DESBIENS [Free admission]
FIVE HAPPY HOURS WITH UP-AND-COMING PERFORMERS [Free admission]
A ROUND TABLE ON PERFORMANCE AND SPOKEN WORD [Free admission]

For five days,
English and French
poets, writers, storytellers, singers, and performers
will hit the stage to perform their own texts
accompanied by improv musicians:

JOSÉ ACQUELIN, LARISSA ANDRUSYSHYN, ANTHONY BANSFIELD, PAULA BELINA, JOCELYN BÉRUBÉ, YVES BOISVERT, ALEX BOUTROS, MIKE BURNS, JOHNNY CHEESECAKE, HERMÉNÉGILDE CHIASSON, MICHEL F. CÔTÉ, ÈVE COURNOYER, JEAN-PAUL DAOUST, JEAN DEROME, NATHALIE DEROME, PATRICE DESBIENS, CHANTAL DUMAS, BERNARD FALAISE, MICHEL FAUBERT, IAN FERRIER, FLUFFY PAGAN ECHOES, ROBBERT FORTIN, MICHEL GARNEAU, FREDRIC GARY COMEAU, KAROLINE GEORGES, CHRISTINE GERMAIN, NORMAND GUILBEAULT, CATHERINE KIDD, GENEVIÈVE LETARTE, NICOLAS LETARTE, RENÉ LUSSIER, GUY MARCHAMPS, FRANÇOIS MARTEL, JEAN-MARC MASSIE, RITA MESTOKOSHO, HÉLÈNE MONETTE, NDNBOY, ALEXIS O’HARA, HILARY PEACH, BRYAN PERRO, MARYSE POULIN, KAREN RICARD, CHRISTINE RICHARD, SKAT, SKIDMORE, JERRY SNELL, ALEXANDRE ST-ONGE, KAARLA SUNDSTROM, PIERRE TANGUAY, TONY TREMBLAY, LISE VAILLANCOURT… AND SEVERAL SURPRISE GUESTS!

This year’s FVA is organized by Les Filles électriques, as storyteller André LÉMELIN, who founded the event in 2002, has decided to focus on producing the weekly storytelling series Les Mardi-gras. The festival’s orientation remains the same: it is a multilingual event featuring performances in oral literature and the spoken word. The festival opens a space for creation where performers deliver their own texts on stage, a space for bold experimentation, emotional mischief, and committed humour. Featuring mainly English- and French-speaking performers this year, the FVA intends to bring in more Hispanic and indigenous voices to its upcoming editions to celebrate diversity and originality in the Americas.

D. KIMM has been a force in the literary and spoken-word scene for a number of years. She has published four books, including La Suite mongole, and has directed and produced more than fifty literary shows and poetry evenings. In September 2001, she founded Les Filles électriques, a company dedicated to the presentation of multidisciplinary artistic events.

For the English section of this second edition of the FVA, D. KIMM has joined up with Ian FERRIER. Co-founder of the record label Wired on Words, president of the Quebec Writers’ Federation, and a performer himself, Ferrier regularly organizes and hosts spoken-word shows. Not one to shrink before a challenge, he’ll do a turn in French in the February 13 show. A fine example of the desire to break down walls between the two solitudes!

SIX BUCKS GETS YOU IN!

In recent years, spoken word has literally exploded all over North America and in Montreal in particular. The FVA provides an excellent opportunity for Montrealers to get a breath of fresh air in February by discovering or rediscovering these outspoken, original and unconventional performers. In order to make the event accessible to all, the FVA has priced all evening shows at the low admission of $6.00, while the Happy Hours and Round Table will be free.