About livewords

Our Story (so far):

livewords is a word-based performance series in Toronto, with a strong bias toward poetry in all its forms but also open to prose, and mixed-media performance.

livewords evolved from the Diamond Cherry Reading Series founded by Devon Gallant & Julie Cameron Grey. Diamond Cherry began at the Zemra Lounge on St. Clair Avenue West. After Devon & Julie handed it over to Edward Nixon, it moved first to the Renaissance Café (RIP 2009) just west of Danforth & Woodbine, then to the late, great It’s Not A Deli at Queen & Ossington (RIP September 2007). Diamond Cherry’s ‘last call’ show was held at the Tequila Bookworm on Queen Street West in October 2007.

After an autumnal retreat, livewords launched in January 2008 at the Concord Café (RIP 2009) at Bloor & Ossington. Our last show at that venue held on July 21, 2008. After a summer break, we moved into a new and larger space at Cervejaria, 842 College Street (just west of Ossington) in October 2008 which held us in its roomy embrace till June 2009. New owners closed the joint without warning and livewords was “homeless.” Taken in by The Central, 603 Markham Street, we spent the summer of ‘09 as its delighted guests.

We wandered back to College Street landing just shy of Dovercourt in Septemebr 2009 at Sage West (RIP November 2009) where did three shows in 2 months. In November 2009 we returned to the “near east” landing at the Black Swan on the Danforth, just east of Broadview.

Reading this one might think that having livewords in the house was a “restaurant-killer” virus as all of our former venues but one have ceased to exist (some closed for good, some re-opened with new owners and new formats, our beloved Renaissance Café closed long after we’d made our way west. We feel secure and set at the 2nd floor room at the Black Swan and hope to settle and rest our sore soles from our many peregrinations.

livewords has a strong association with Misunderstandings Magazine, as Diamond Cherry had before it, having hosted the magazine’s issue launch parties/readings over the past four years. We have also hosted Carousel Magazine’s recent Toronto launch and in June 2010 we will hosting Rampike Magazine “Cultural Mischief” issue launch party.

livewords receives funding from the PWYC donations collected at our shows, and through the sustaining support of EN Consulting, a public outreach consultancy located at the Centre for Social Innovation. Individual readers at livewords have received support through the League of Canadian Poets and the Toronto Arts Council.

Our key people:

Featured livewords readers have included:

  • Andre Babyn
  • Ryan Bird
  • Steven Michael Berzensky
  • Clara Blackwood
  • Di Brandt
  • Allan Briesmaster
  • David Clink
  • Rob Colman
  • Jeff Cottrill
  • James Deahl
  • Barry Dempster
  • Rocco De Giacomo
  • Nashira Dernesch
  • Sean Dixon
  • Ron Newberry-Evans
  • George Fetherling
  • Kate Marshall Flaherty
  • Eric Foley
  • Mike Freeman
  • Devon Gallant
  • Fred Gaysek
  • Adam Getty
  • Julian Gobert
  • Sonja Greckol
  • Roger Greenwald
  • Naoise Hefferon
  • Angela Hibbs
  • Liz Howard
  • Richard Huttel
  • Luciano Iacobelli
  • Jim Johnstone
  • Anne Joyce
  • Ryan Kamstra
  • Bill Kennedy
  • Liisa Ladouceur
  • Jeff Latosik
  • Matt Leslie
  • Michael Lista
  • Nyla Matuk
  • Steve McCabe
  • Andrew McEwan
  • Dave McFadden
  • Marianne Micros
  • Kathryn Mockler
  • Jacob McArthur Mooney
  • gustave morin
  • A.F. Moritz
  • Lillian Necakov
  • Shane Neilson
  • Timothy Ormond
  • Jason Paradiso
  • Melanie Pierluigi
  • Ruth Roach Pierson
  • Robert Priest
  • Sandy Pool
  • Robin Richardson
  • Stuart Ross
  • Robyn Sarah
  • Jacob Scheier
  • Lara Solnicki
  • Josh Stewart
  • Angela Szczepaniak
  • Dane Swan
  • Lindsay Tipping
  • Blair Trewartha
  • Phoebe Tsang
  • Priscila Uppal
  • Paul Vermeersch
  • Natalie Zina Walchots
  • Zach Wells
  • Lisa Young