Verses Festival of Words reignites Sounds Like Fire, August 11

The Vancouver Poetry House event features performances by Kimmortal, Desirée Dawson, Francis Arevalo, and Hari Alluri

Vancouver Poetry House presents Verses Festival of Words: Sounds Like Fire at 8 pm on August 11 at C-Lab at the Cultch

SOUNDS LIKE FIRE was to have been a hot ticket for 2022’s Verses Festival of Words, but the multi-artist show had to be cancelled. It will soon alight a local stage anew; as Vancouver Poetry House puts it, “you just can’t keep a good fire down”.

Sharing the stage with poet-writer Hari Alluri are musicians Desirée Dawson, Francis Arevalo, and Kimmortal. Alluri is the author of 2017’s The Flayed City (Kaya), Carving Ashes (CiCAC, 2013), and the 2016 chapbook The Promise of Rust (Mouthfeel). “Sounds Like Fire will be equal parts tenderness and fire, water and righteous rage,” VPH says. “Each featured artist brings big love and social consciousness to the stage, while displaying lyrical craft that encompasses hip hop, the poetic page, folk, and experimental music in between.”

Related, VPH’s Vancouver Poetry Slam is also making a comeback, now in its new home at Next Door (at Slice of Life Gallery). Upcoming events—which include a featured poet, slam-poetry competition, and open mic—include Sonya Littlejohn on July 25 and Erin Dingle on August 8. The shows are also available for online viewing.

And in other news, VPH (which is the largest spoken word organization in Canada) recently appointed artist, educator, and producer Johnny D Trinh as its new artistic director. The founder and artistic producer of Stage to Page Performance Society, Trinh is a multi-year finalist at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam and former guest curator for Verses Festival of Words. His theme for the 2023 Verses Festival of Words is “Gathering found family around the table.”

More information is at https://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com.

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