It Takes a Villiage to Nurture the Arts…

Words Aloud Festival in Durham, Owen Sound & Walkerton Ontario

Press Release received by the Words Aloud Festival, October 2008

Now in its fifth year, Words Aloud, the Spoken Word and Storytelling Festival that began in 2003 in Durham, Ontario, expands even further in popularity and geographic spread. Touching down not only in Durham but Owen Sound and Walkerton this year, Words Aloud 5, November 6 – 9, continues to draw expanding audiences into the power of the spoken word with a fantastic lineup of poets, storytellers and workshops designed to stimulate the artistic potential in Grey County. In a time of waning funding to the arts, Words Aloud stands as a testament to what the arts can do to build community and foster cultural identity.

The feature poet at Words Aloud this year is Don McKay, who was recently awarded the prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize in 2007 for his book Strike/Slip — a book which simultaneously scooped the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Honouring the special request of Owen Sound’s own Poet Laureate, Liz Zetlin, McKay returns to the town of his birth. Poet, essayist, teacher and editor, McKay has published numerous previous books of poetry and been awarded two Governor General’s awards, for Night Field (1991) and Another Gravity (2000). He’ll be at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery November 6 and the Durham Art Gallery November 7th.

In its tradition of cultural and literary diversity, Words Aloud brings other high powered artists to the main stage of the Durham Art Gallery, including:

George Elliott Clarke, a much awarded and revered poet who received the Governor General’s Award for his book Execution Poems; Catherine Kidd, a Montreal-based performance poet of taxidermy, bi-polar bears and love; Ayanna Black, a feminist poet and founding member of CANBAIA (Canadian Artist Network - Black Artists in Action); Sheng Xue, a poet and journalist sponsored by PEN Canada; Neal McLeod, award winning poet, visual artist and former member of the Saskatchewan comedy troupe the Bionic Bannock Boys, as well as professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies at Trent University; Molly Peacock, a much-awarded author of six poetry books, a memoir (Paradise, Piece By Piece), How To Read A Poem and Start A Poetry Circle and The Shimmering Verge, a one-woman monologue performed throughout North America; David Bateman, a Toronto based playwright and performance artist whose work has been featured in theatres and at spoken word events across Canada and the United States; and Klyde Broox, a veteran, Hamilton based, Jamaican born and groomed Dub poet who won the 2005 City of Hamilton Arts Award for Literature.

In addition to main stage events Friday through Sunday, Words Aloud ventures into new domains of excellence on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to the collaboration of the South Grey Bruce Youth Literacy Council, Prokofiev’s children’s classic Peter and the Wolf will be performed by the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Woodwind Quintet with narration by Andrew Lakin of the Lost and Found Theatre. Coupled with The Wolf Call, writing contest for youth, this amazing program will be staged at the Victoria Jubilee Hall — a new and luxurious venue for a Words Aloud event, and one which promises a consummate theatrical experience.

And the scene is happening again with the Words Aloud festival hosting two slam performances at Above Stedmans in Durham and at the Owen Sound Library. We are privileged to welcome back former Toronto Slam team member Amanda Hiebert, who will be acting as our Slam Master, bringing with her The Last Call Poets, some of Toronto’s hottest spoken word poets to dazzle audiences with their verbal acrobatics.

As the name suggests, this festival is all about bringing the words on the page to life. Come out and celebrate, explore and participate with the oldest art form alive! Make these words yours. Full program, workshop and ticket information at www.wordsaloud.ca