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Wordsfest's new home

10/31/2016

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PictureJosh Lambier (L) and Brian Meehan
I was very excited to be given a tour of the reorganized home of London’s Wordsfest to see the solution to the biggest problem they had at last year’s festival.

Wordfest Creative Director Josh Lambier and Museum London Director Brian Meehan walked me through the new situation. Last season, the festival was spread across downtown, from the Museum London at one end over to the Covent Garden Market then to the Marienbad Restaurant (where we held the open mic) and finally to the Central Library at the other end. People had to do a lot of walking from one event to another and consequently missed ones they may have wanted to attend. This year everything is in one building, the museum!

I was particularly interested to see the space for the open mic (on Saturday Nov. 5th). Last year, London Open Mic and Wordsfest hosted it in a wonderful restaurant space, the Marienbad, but it was a bit small for the unexpectedly large audience of 93. This time it will be in the main hall, called the Centre Gallery (right behind the desk just as you enter the museum). This space is normally divided by display walls for an exhibition, but when I was there all those had been moved out and we could see the actual size of it. It will easily hold 100 people, likely 150, including tables. And it will have to, because, since the open mic will be right there in the museum, even more people than last year will come for something to eat and a relaxing time listening to the open mic readers. The space is going to have a riser for the readers, dim lights, and a bar with lounge food.

The local author’s book fair, which last year was hidden away upstairs in the Covent Garden Market some blocks away, this time will be just a few steps up the stairs here in the museum, right next to the festival’s large reading hall, in a long, luxurious hallway sided with great windows looking out on nature. There is room enough there for anyone who has written a book and wants to plug it. They can reserve a spot via the WordsFest.ca website or by phoning the Central Library.

Museum Director Meehan said that as proud as he is to host so many literary giants from SouthWest Ontario, the real star of the festival, to him, will be in a glass case beside the open mic space. It’s a 1st edition copy of Milton’s Paradise Lost!! Yes, 1st edition. Published in 1667. He said it was possibly owned by Milton himself.

Wordsfest, the Words Literary and Creative Arts Festival, now in its third season, hosts numerous poets, novelists and literary academics over it’s three days (Nov. 4th to 6th), including readings, speeches and conversations. All participants are from Southwestern Ontario.   See the lineup.
​

I’m excited, and am going to attend as many events as I can.

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This is my last season: HELP WANTED!

10/28/2016

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Picture
This 5th season of London Open Mic Poetry will be my last as organizer. I’ve had a good run, and accomplished what I wanted to, both in terms of personal growth and helping to build a poetry community in London. But I have other things I want to accomplish that will require all my time and effort in the future.

Our committee right now doesn’t include anyone who can pick up where I leave off. It would be a shame for London Open Mic to die, or even to fizzle away in a half-hearted fashion. So we desperately need someone to step forward before the end of the season: June, 2017.

Job requirements:
​
• You must be able to plan ahead, continually. Not everyone can handle this. Since London Open Mic is a series of events, two events have to be prepared for simultaneously, first in finding featured poets, then in making sure everything else is done in proper sequence and on schedule: writing and posting ads on the website and social media and other platforms, doing interviews with the features, hosting the actual event, getting photography and videography done, writing and posting summaries and photo galleries. Consequently, a strong sense of responsibility and an ability to manage time are necessary. 
• You need to persuade other volunteers to do as much of the work as possible. This is also important because the open mic is a social event, and so should be run by a social group, which then forms one of the seeds of the community it is promoting. 
• You have to do any work yourself that other volunteers aren’t getting done. 
• You must communicate with all parts of the community: featured poets, open mic poets, poetry aficionados, other poetry organizations, city agencies, etc. 
• You must search not only for new featured poets, but for other possible kinds of features, and also for new ways of involving the organization in the community--then make them happen. 
• You must inspire others. 
• You must use your position to do as many good things for individuals as you possibly can. This is more important than all the rest.


Organizing London Open Mic Poetry has been a very rewarding adventure, ridding me of a debilitating shyness and, at the same time, involving me productively in my community.

I’m hoping that someone else will want to carry it forward. If you’re just curious but not likely to go for it, please ask me about it anyway. If you know someone else who might be right for it, suggest it to them. It isn’t for everyone, but it may, in the end, be perfect for someone who doesn’t think so at first glance. That was certainly true for me when I started it.
I’m happy to talk about it: 

Stan
burfield@live.com
519-204-1792

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Guerrilla Poetry at WordsFest

10/24/2016

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PictureJaime R. Brenes Reyes reading at a guerrilla poetry event.
Starting at noon on Saturday, Nov. 5th, 2016, volunteers of the Words Literary Festival will take to the streets of downtown London for "Guerrilla Poetry." Participants will travel in groups and take turns reciting poems aloud to listeners and passersby. The poems will range from world classics to the participants' own work. Our guerrilla poets will also provide information on other exciting events in the Words Literary Festival lineup.

This event is organized by London Open Mic Poetry, Poetry London and The Public Humanities at Western.
 
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
 
Do you want to fill downtown London with the poetry you love? We are looking for volunteers for "Guerrilla Poetry" on Saturday, November 5th. During the event, you will travel in a team of four readers-reciters to a designated space in downtown London. Once there, members of your group will take turns reciting poetry to the public. The event will also give you the opportunity to promote the Words Literary Festival by handing out promotional materials. You can perform any poetry you like, from classic works to your own creations! Contact us now to volunteer and join our growing group of guerrilla poets.
 
To register for a spot in our growing squad, email us at guerrillapoetrylondon@gmail.com
 
LONDON OPEN MIC’S NEW GUERRILLA POETRY ORGANIZER
 
Jaime R. Brenes Reyes is London Open Mic’s new organizer of guerrilla poetry. His first task is to co-ordinate the guerrilla poetry event for the Words Literary and Creative Arts Festival, Nov. 5th. Subsequent to that, Jaime will spring other guerrilla poetry events on London.
 
Originally from Nicaragua, Jaime R. Brenes Reyes is a student in Comparative Literature where he tries to explore the intricacies of fantastic literature. Jaime appreciates the force of words to express emotions and feelings that in many instances escape the realm of language. Reciting and reading poetry is one of his main life passions as well as staring at the Moon.

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Children's Poetry Workshop today

10/15/2016

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If you would like to expose your young children to poetry and the creating of it, you can take them to the Children's Museum at 11 this morning. London Open Mic has a children's workshop happening there for three hours. It's a drop-in, so you can come at any time after 11.

Along with museum staff, our Brittany Renaud and London Poetry Slam's Alan Leangvan will be facilitating, using the museum's displays as prompts, holding a word-oriented scavenger hunt, etc.
​

It should be fun and exciting for the children.
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Mini-launch of the anthology Another London at London Open Mic

10/5/2016

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On Wednesday we will be doing a 2nd launch of Another London in the open mic section of London Open Mic. Anyone present who has a poem in the anthology will be asked to read it.

Featured poets:
Frank Beltrano   /   Stan Burfield                      
Carrie Lee Connel   /   Tom Cull                           
D’vorah Elias   /   Jan Figurski                        
Ryan Gibbs   /   Andreas Gripp                    
Gregory Wm. Gunn   /   Martin Hayter                  
Kevin Heslop   /   David Huebert                    
Camille Intson   /   Penn Kemp
Marlene Laplante   /   Alan Leangvan
Lincoln McCardle   /   DL Morrow
Dorothy Nielsen   /   Holly Painter
Wayne Ray   /   RL Raymond
Brittany Renaud   /   Peggy Roffey
Mark Tovey   /   David White

THE EVENT

WHERE: Mykonos Restaurant at 572 Adelaide St. North, London, Ontario. The restaurant has a large, covered terrace just behind the main restaurant, which comfortably holds 60 poetry lovers. Mediterranean food and drinks are available. The terrace is open to the parking lot behind. Overflow parking is available across the side street and in the large lot one block north, in front of Trad’s Furniture.

THE FEATURED POET: David Huebert opens the event with a reading that begins at 7:00, followed by a Q&A.

OPEN MIC: Following the featured poet, 15 open mic poets will read until 9:30 at the latest, with an intermission at about 8:00. Each poet has five minutes (which is about two good pages of poetry, but it should be timed at home). Sign up on the reader`s list, which is on the book table at the back. It's first come, first served.

COVER: Pay What You Can (in jar on back table, or use Donate Button on website Donate Page). Donations are our only source of income to cover expenses.

RAFFLE PRIZES: Anyone who donates at the event receives a ticket for a raffle prize, three of which will be picked after the intermission. The prizes consist of poetry books donated by The Ontario Poetry Society.
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