Canada's most generous poetry award, founded by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Title: 2017 Cave Canem Poetry Prize submission deadline
Date: March 17, 2017
Description: Launched in 1999 with Rita Dove’s selection of Natasha Trethewey’s Domestic Work, this first-book award is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by black poets of African descent. Winner receives $1,000, publication by University of Pittsburgh Press in fall 2018, 15 copies of the book and a feature reading.
Title: Poetry in Action
Date: March 29, 2017
Location: Palo Seco, Trinidad and Tobago
Description: Beach Camp Community School in Palo Seco, Trinidad and Tobago celebrates a day of poetry, highlighting poets, reading poetic works by children and sharing through the oral tradition.
Title: Poetry NOW: 9th Annual Battle of the Bards
Date: March 29, 2017
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Description: This popular poetry competition returns in 2017 to feature readings by 20 of Canada’s upcoming and established poets. One poet will receive an automatic invitation to read at the 38th edition of the International Festival of Authors AND an ad for their book and IFOA event in NOW Magazine.
Title: National Poetry Month.ca
Start Date: April 1, 2017
End Date: April 30, 2017
Description: Amanda Earl of AngelHousePress started NationalPoetryMonth.ca in 2009 as an alternative to institutionalized celebrations of poetry with the goal of expanding preconceived notions of what poetry is or means. NationalPoetryMonth.ca is a celebration of the nation of poetry. Poetry is a land of risk, play, meditation, provocation and delight. It cannot be contained within borders and should not be restricted by boundaries of any kind. Through the month of April, you will find poems that explore boundaries and break through barriers. The creators of these poems come from all over the world. Ideally the poems will inspire more poetry, will serve to continue the conversation that poetry creates, a conversation that is not limited by time, place, form, age, gender, sexual orientation, political orientation, religion or financial constraints. The site is free and all of the poets have graciously given their poems without payment in any type of currency except your reading pleasure.
Title: Frye Festival
Start Date: April 22, 2017
End Date: April 29, 2017
Location: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Description: The Frye Festival is Canada’s only bilingual international literary festival and the largest literary event in Atlantic Canada. The Frye Festival offers the best of local, Canadian and international authors, including children’s authors, graphic novelists, storytellers, poets, playwrights, spoken-word artists and more.
The Festival was created to commemorate Northrop Frye, a man who rose from humble roots to attain the stature of world-renowned thinker. Northrop Frye spent his formative years in Moncton, NB, honing the ideas that he would spend the rest of his life developing, namely his deep commitment to an informed and civil society.
Writers appearing this year include Ulrikka S. Gernes, Iain Reid and Zoe Whittall.
Title: Calgary Spoken Word Festival: Words and Music
Start Date: April 22, 2017
End Date: April 25, 2017
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Description: The Calgary Spoken Word Society was created in November 2003 by poet Sheri-D Wilson. Influenced by its founder’s passion, the Society’s vision is to develop a forum for the dissemination and promotion of Spoken Word Poetry locally, provincially, nationally and internationally, through performance and education.
This year’s edition of the Calgary Spoken Word Festival kicks off with the workshop Making & Unmaking Metaphor with poet Lorna Crozier. Other events include poetry slams Wild Women & Friends, Off the Charts and Ink Spot Slam & Open Mic.
Title: McClelland and Stewart 2017 Poetry Launch
Date: March 27, 2017
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Description: Join McClelland & Stewart in celebrating the publication of four fantastic new books of poetry!
Title: Trillium Book Award 30th Anniversary Reading
Date: April 25, 2017
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Description: To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Trillium Book Award, the Ontario Media Development Corporation is hosting a series of author readings by several previous winners and last year’s finalists. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and Readings will begin at 7:00 p.m. These readings are free and open to the public but attendees are asked to register in advance.
The Toronto event features: Kate Cayley, Wayson Choy, Lynn Crosbie, Robert Hough, Soraya Peerbaye, Nino Ricci, Damian Rogers, Adam Sol, and Matthew Tierney.
Title: Trillium Book Award 30th Anniversary Reading
Date: March 27, 2017
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Description: To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Trillium Book Award, the Ontario Media Development Corporation is hosting a series of author readings by several previous winners and last year’s finalists. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and Readings will begin at 7:00 p.m. These readings are free and open to the public but attendees are asked to register in advance.
The Toronto French language event features: Marguerite Andersen, Claude Forand, Andrée Lacelle, Didier Leclair, François Paré, Micheline Marchand, Daniel Marchildon, and Paul Savoie.
Title: Gernes and McFadzean at knife | fork | book
Date: April 21, 2017
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Description: All knife | fork | book readings events happen Thursday evenings (unless otherwise noted). This event is on a Friday. Doors open at 6:30 pm at Rick’s Cafe in Kensington Market. This event’s featured guests are poets Ulrikka S. Gernes and Cassidy McFadzean.