The Edmonton Poetry Festival has levelled up in honour of its 20th anniversary, expanding its usual week-long festival into a month-long celebration that’s set to take over the city.
“The Poetry Festival isn’t trying to make a poetry scene happen,” says Steve Pirot, the festival’s executive director for the past year. “The poetry festival is emerging out of the scene that already exists.”
And this year, that scene is more vibrant than ever. With over 40 events on the calendar, including long-standing favourites like The Blinks, a high-speed poetry showdown, and French Twist, a Francophone poetry showcase, the festival is all about celebrating Edmonton’s local talent. And a new partnership with Canadian Heritage ensures the focus stays on the poets who’ve made Edmonton their home, giving them the recognition they deserve.
Expanding to a month-long festival means the festival can integrate regular Edmonton poetry events that otherwise would not overlap with the festival.
“If there was going to be a poetry event or a poetry adjacent event happening in Edmonton, we wanted to make sure that the festival was connected to it in some way,” Pirot says. “We are encouraging partnerships, encouraging collaboration and encouraging a sense of belonging to the larger poetry community.”
Among Pirot’s highly anticipated events is the festival’s twentieth birthday celebration on April 11, serving as this year’s grand ceremony. This party promises live beats from Tzadeka and the Murder Hornette (a local female-fronted hip-hop spoken word band), connecting with community members, plus sneak peeks of upcoming festival performances. Set in the newly renovated solarium at Ortona Armoury, it’s an evening of poetry, cake and pure Edmonton literary magic.
This birthday bash celebrates local talent — which sets the tone for the festival’s future as it looks to continue evolving. The short-term goal remains the same — “to represent the local scene,” says Pirot, highlighting contemporary poet Rayanne Haines and Edmonton’s current poet laureate, Shima Robinson. And in the long term, Pirot envisions broadening the festival’s reach and influence by furthering accessibility.
“I think (poetry is) the most accessible art form there is, but it gets presented in a way that’s kind of dry, kind of academic and relegated to school. People don’t realize that Kendrick Lamar is poetry, or that the stuff they write in their own journals when they’re just trying to figure things out is poetry. We’re emphasizing accessibility in many, many ways.”
The festival is focused on making its events accessible to everyone by removing barriers. Instead of charging for tickets, they rely on voluntary donations, trusting that attendees will contribute generously.
To keep Edmontonians involved with poetry events year round, the festival has introduced the newsletter The Magpie. And in addition to keeping the community engaged, Pirot says “This year, we’re really emphasizing membership. Not in the sense of perks, but in fostering a sense of belonging to a scene.” By becoming a member, you’ll show your support for local poetry and enjoy benefits such as event updates, discounts on events and a chance to vote at the festival’s annual general meeting.
Edmonton Poetry Festival’s 20th anniversary runs from April 2 to 27. Festival events vary in pricing, with the majority being free or by donation.
