Events

Literary Editions is co-hosted by the Edmonton Poetry Festival.

This annual poetry event will feature online readings from UAlberta Press’ newest collections: This Sweet Rupture by Omar Ramadan, When Whales Went Back to the Water by Lisa Baird, and Python Love by Shannon Arntfield, all hosted by Aaron Kreuter. 

About Books & Authors:

The poems in Omar Ramadan’s This Sweet Rupture explore family secrets, diaspora, food culture, and war’s impact on personal narratives while navigating cultural identity as a first-generation Lebanese-Canadian.

Lisa Baird’s poems in When Whales Went Back to the Water traverse through joy, loss, parenting, domestic violence, and isolation. Steely, tender, and sensual, this collection creates a reverent container for a broken world.

Shannon Arntfield’s Python Love is a collection of free verse poetry weaving together experiences of childhood abuse and birth trauma from the perspective of a medical doctor who is also a mother.

The new books of each reader will be available from Audreys Books in Edmonton and area, and the University of Alberta Press’ website.

In-Person & Online: This is a hybrid event with both an in-person and online attendance option. Those wishing to attend in-person can join a listening party in Henderson Hall (1-17 Rutherford Library South, University of Alberta Campus).  There will be refreshments. Those wishing to attend online can join via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent out to all registrants the day before the event and again one hour before the start. 

Registration: Free and limited. To secure your spot, visit edmontonpoetryfestival.com/2025-festival/events-schedule 

Venue

April 23 2025, 5-6:30pm

Rutherford Library South
University of Alberta, 11208 89 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T6G 2J8 Canada

The Edmonton Poetry Festival Society  is proud to present, to feature, to showcase, to provide for your viewing and aural pleasure a curated evening of poetics, politics, dance, & culture such as you are not likely to see the likes of any other place but at The Lorne Cardinal Theatre on April 19 as part of Theatre Networks’ celebrated Phoenix Series. 

Birthed out of the Great Western Plains brain of Daniel Poitras, a half-breed poet form the Paul First Nation  – this curated collection of curios features: The Ladies First ensemble of Nermeen Youssef, Anna Marie Sewell, Luciana Ana Erregue; Ryan Fitzpatrick; Sage Giroux; Chanel Klein; Kat Kat; and Jayme Poitras.

April 19 2025, doors at 6:30pm, poetry starts at 7 pm.

Venue Note: The Lorne Cardinal Theatre is located within The Roxy Theatre building.

Registration: Limited. The link to secure your spot is TBA, so stay tuned!

Admission: By donation.

edmontonpoetryfestival.com

Venue

The Roxy Theatre
10708 124 St
Edmonton, Alberta T5M 0H1 Canada

Come celebrate THE TWENTY Youth Poetry Collection! 

The Edmonton Poetry Festival Society (EPFS) is launching a youth poetry book to showcase up-and-coming voices in poetry, as part of the festival’s 20th anniversary! The publication features 20 unique and thoughtful young poets responding to the prompt “my turn of phrase”. This event will feature 10 poets in the collection (along with another 10 at Part Two), plus opportunities for performance, connection and community for poets of every age.

This event is supported by The EAC’s Connections & Exchanges Grant Program.

Don’t forget to check out the original artwork featured in the book, by artist Jess Amos, on display at the COLAB gallery, April 19 thru 26, 2025.

Registration: Registration details are to be confirmed. Put this date in your calendar and stay tuned!

April 19 2025, 3-5pm
edmontonpoetryfestival.com

Venue

CO*LAB
9641 102A Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5H 0G3 Canada

Join the Edmonton Poetry Festival Society at The Society of Northern Alberta Printmakers (SNAP) Gallery for an exploration of why-wait-to-be-published-when-you-can-do-it-yourself chapbook production. Facilitators Big Al and Abbigail Ketsa offer a sample of some of the methods you could borrow or straight-up steal to create, decorate, and procreate your own unique chapbook. 

Members of the SNAP artist collective will also be providing a behind-the-scenes orientation into the printmaking techniques and technology available in the SNAP studios. Did you know they have a moveable type press? Well, you do know now! 

Registration: Limited. The registration method is currently to be confirmed, so mark it on your calendar and stay tuned! Visit edmontonpoetryfestival.com/2025-festival/events-schedule to stay up to date. 

April 17 2025,  7pm

SNAP Gallery
10572 115 St NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5H 3K6 Canada

April 14

The Blinks 2025 is not your robot’s poetry! This year is all about “Putting the Art in Artificial Intelligence”. This event is invented and presented by the Stroll of Poets at the Edmonton Poetry Festival and has been for 20 years, making it one of the Festival’s founding events — and our birthday twin!

The Blinks is a challenge to create a poem (a Blink) to perform in 30 seconds, MAX! Any subject or style is welcome… though do remember there could be kids in the audience! Blinks can be snaps of fun, or searing. They can be sad, inspiring, or silly. Whatever tickles your neural nets.

If you don’t feel like showing off your smARTofficial intelligence, don’t you worry! You can still absolutely come along to sit back and enjoy the algo-rhythms. 

Please arrive in good time. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the performance starts at 7 pm.

Reader Sign-Up: If you would like to share a Blink, sign up in advance by sending an email to strollofpoetsblinks@gmail.com to be sent more detailed information. 

Registration: No registration is required for general attendance.

Admission: $5 cash at the door.

Venue

The Aviary
9314 111 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5G 0A3 Canada