Poetry lovers have one more chance to catch New Westminster's summer reading series.
Poetry in the Park winds up this Wednesday, Aug. 30 at the Queen's Park bandshell. The session runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
This week's featured poets are Joseph Dandurand and Chantal Gibson.
Dandurand is a storyteller, poet, playwright, a member of Kwantlen First Nation and the director of the Kwantlen Cultural Centre. He has published 14 books of poetry, including The East Side of It All, which was a finalist for the 2021 Griffin Prize. In 2022 he was the winner of the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize. His most recent publications include the poetry collection The Punishment, and stories for children: The Girl Who Loved the Birds, The Sasquatch, the Fire and the Cedar Baskets, and A Magical Sturgeon, all with Harbour Publishing.
Gibson is an award-winning writer-artist-educator who works in the overlap between literary and visual arts. Her poetry collections How She Read (Caitlin 2019) and with/holding (Caitlin 2021) bring a critical lens to the historical representation of Blackness across cultural media. Currently on school reading lists across the country, How She Read won the 2020 Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize.
For those who want to share their own work, the evening also includes an open mic portion (three minutes maximum). Plus, there will be a raffle for some CanLit poetry books.
Take note that if it's raining, or if the bandshell and seating area are wet or muddy from the recent rain, the session will move indoors to Centennial Lodge — just across the road from the bandshell.
Poetry in the Park sessions are free, and everyone is welcome. You can find all the details at the Royal City Literary Arts Society website.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
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