Poetry in Translation redux + favourites & originals – 8/27/9

livewords  returns to our summer home at The Central, 603 Markham Street – click here for a map - on Thursday August 27 for an all and “different” open mic night kicking off at 8 pm.

3 Kinds of Open Mic Sets:

  1. Poetry in Translation
    • Reading a poem by a poet you admire, translated into English from _______ either by you (your own translation of the author’s work) or a translation you particularly like.
  2. A reading of a poem that “hit you between the eyes”
    • Reading a poem by a favourite author that made you want to read more, write more or get an Aspirin.
    • Also suitable for non-writers who would like some recognition for a reading a really good poem.
  3. As written by you
    • An original piece written by you!

And what do you get for this! A chance at cash, books and well, fun.

Sign Up information & Rules – please click here.

Open Mic August – livewords 8/27/9 – the rules

3 Kinds of Open Mic Sets at livewords on August 27th:

  1. Poetry in Translation
  2. A reading of a poem that “hit you between the eyes”
  3. As written by you

Two (2) opportunities to sign up:

  • In Advance to info@livewords.ca – 5 names per set
  • The night of – August 27th- Sign up at 7:30 pm – max 10 per set (including advance sign-ups).
  • Rules:
    • Participants may enter only select 1 category for the advance sign-up
    • 1 poem only – 3 minutes maximum
      • Poems in translation may also be read in their original language, time permitting
    • “Poetry in translation:” may not be poems written by participants
    • “The poem that hit you in the eyes” may not be poems written by participants
    • “As written by you:” poems must be original pieces written by participants
    • Esteemed Judges will adjudicate and their decision will be final
  • Prizes will be awarded for:

    • Set 1 – “Poetry in Translation”
      • best translation
      • best reading of a translated piece
    • Set 2 – “The poem that hit you in the eyes”
      • best reading of a poem “that hit you in the eyes”
      • most interesting selection of a “that hit you in the eyes”
    • Set 3 – “As written by you”
      • best original piece
      • best reading of an original piece
  • Prizes will include:
    • Cash, Cactus Press Prize Packs, opportunity to be published in Misunderstandings Magazine.
  • Hosted by Edward Nixon.
  • PWYC Donations will be requested.
  • Sponsored by EN Consulting @ Centre for Social Innovation and Misunderstandings Magazine

    livewords will return to our summer hang at The Central, 603 Markham Street – click here for a map - on Thursday August 27 show starts at 8 pm.

Misunderstandings Magazine 12 – Launched

We had a packed house July 23 at the Central on all-too-infrequent warm Toronto ’09 summer night.

Nikki Ward won our all “original piece” Open Mic contest, carrying off a $50 cash prize for her impressive effort.

Thanks to our contest judges: Karen Shenfeld, Carey Toane, and Blair Trewartha.

MM Editor Jim Johnstone, successfully sold magazines to all comers.

We enjoyed arresting readings from nine (9) contributors from Misunderstandings Magazine Issue 12:

  • Clara Blackwood
  • Ron Newberry Evans
  • Anne Joyce
  • Shane Neilson
  • Jason Paradiso
  • Melanie Pierluigi
  • Dane Swan
  • Lindsay Tipping
  • Natalie Zina Walchots

A special thanks to everyone at the Central for making us feel at home!

tonight come in from the rain with livewords @ The Central

Dry off inside with Clara Blackwood, Ron Newberry Evans, Anne Joyce, Jason Paradiso, Melanie Pierluigi, Dane Swan, Lindsay Tipping and Natalie Zina Walchots.

+ be one of 8 on the open mic (cash prize for best original poem)

but please don’t be late:

Open Mic Sign up 7:30 – Readings from 8:00 sharp.

The Central 603 Markham Street – just south of Bloor.

livewords MM12 launch party & readings now at The Central July 23.

On Thursday July 23 livewords presents the Misunderstandings Magazine Issue 12 launch party at our new venue!

    With readings by 8 contributing authors:

Clara Blackwood is a Toronto-based writer. Her first poetry collection, Subway Medusa (2007), is the inaugural book in Guernica Editions’ First Poets Series, which showcases first books by poets thirty-five and under. From 1998 to 2004, Clara ran the monthly Syntactic Sunday Reading Series at the Free Times Café.

Ron Newberry-Evans is a Toronto writer, photographer and, on rare occasions, musician. He has released one chapbook – The Beautiful Darkness (believeyourownpress, 2005), and was a co-creator of the television biography series The Heart Of A Poet. He is currently at work on a new collection of poems which is going at a speed best described as somewhere between glacier-like and posthumous.

Anne Joyce graduated from Creative Writing a full 10 years ago, yet this is her first published piece. What she lacks in discipline, she makes up for in charm. She hopes. A web producer passionate about all things 2.0, Anne spends her off-time squeezing herself into 140 characters on Twitter, writing her novel, and sneaking backstage at rock shows.

Jason Paradiso is a co-editor at Descant. He writes, lives, and works in Toronto.

Melanie Pierluigi spent the past two years living in South Korea and traveling around Asia.  Her poetry has appeared in The Nashwaak Review, White Wall Review, PRECIPICe, The Dalhousie Review, Quills and The Prairie Journal.  She won Waterloo Universities ‘English Society Creative Writing Award for Poetry’ in 2005.

Toronto based Bermudian writer Dane Swan, is predominately known as a spoken-word artist. Dane has performed his unique brand of spoken word in over a dozen cities throughout North America. Performances of his poetry have been featured on CDs and vinyls that have been distributed across Canada and the Atlantic. Dane has a BA in Law (Humanities) from Carleton University and a diploma in Entertainment Management from Trebas Institute. His current chapbook Narcotics//Flora is published by Burning Effigy Press.

Lindsay Tipping did a lot of writing in Calgary before running away to become a TV star, horoscope writer and music promoter in China. She now lives in Toronto. She has had work previously published in UTNE Reader, Matrix Magazine, filling Station and dANDelionand as well as various ESL textbooks across Asia.

Natalie Zina Walschots‘ first book of poetry, Thumbscrews, was published by Snare Books in the Fall of 2007. Her work has recently appeared in FOURSQUARE, Matrix, and Rampike. She has served as the Managing Editor of both filling Station and dANDelion, and also co-curated the Flywheel reading series from 2005-2008.  Natalie completed her MA in English/Creative Writing at the University of Calgary.  She recently moved to Toronto after 4 years in Alberta, and here she teaches grade 12 students at a private school. She lives in a menagerie with several humans, two cats, a dog, and three rats.

+ our beloved OPEN MIC CONTEST – best original piece – Cash Prize – 3 minutes max.

* And some surprises – A NEW VENUE (smile) + . . .

The Central 605 Markham Street.

Click here for a map.
7:00 p.m. Doors Open
7:30 p.m. Open Mic Sign-Up
8:00 p.m. Performances Commence

Click here to RSVP on Facebook

PAY WHAT YOU CAN DONATIONS WILL BE REQUESTED AT THE PERFORMANCE TO SUPPORT THE SERIES.