Sunday, February 15, 2004

In this special open-mic event dedicated to storytellers, the participants, veteran or rookie, will have no time to waste words as they’ll have only seven minutes to tell their stories from start to finish. But as everyone knows, storytellers have a knack for making time stand still…

For this event, participants must sign up in advance by phone, (514) 277-9084, or by e-mail, diablevert@arobas.net (maximum 10 storytellers). Les Dimanches du conte will follow at 7:30 pm as usual.

A poetry slam is a spoken-word competition in which poets are judged by selected members of the audience. Each performer has three minutes to deliver a text. Unlike traditional open-mic events, the audience is encouraged to react to all aspects of the show, including the performances, the scores, and the host’s banter. The winner of this Poetry Slam will be awarded a $50 prize (with thanks to the Quebec Writers’ Federation).

This show, presented in co-production with Wired on Words and falling on the third Sunday of the month, will continue in the finest tradition of North American spoken word and feature the crème de la crème of performers. With former Montrealer John SOBOL, now a key figure on the Toronto sound poetry scene and as a member of the collective AWOL Love Vibe; performers Josephine WATSON and Kaie KELLOUGH, members of the Kalmunity vibes collective, known for their live organic improv presented weekly at Sablo Kafé; performers Fortner ANDERSON and Ian FERRIER, pioneers of the Montreal spoken-word scene who have lost none of their edge; and young singer and musician Marcia SEEBARAN, whose background is in jazz and electro-jazz.

In the spirit of fairness and equality, the FVA asked a francophone poet to take the plunge and perform in the other official language for the first time. The lucky person is Tony TREMBLAY, who has courageously agreed to meet the challenge.

Grooves for the evening will be supplied by a top-notch house band: Lori FREEDMAN on clarinet, Michel F. CÔTÉ on percussion and Nicolas CALOIA on double bass. Let the good times roll!

Evening presented in co-production with Wired on Words, a Canadian spoken-word CD production company directed by Ian Ferrier. The show will be recorded by CBC Radio One for later broadcast.