2015 Cascadia Poetry Festival 3 – NANAIMO SCHEDULE

Cascadia Poetry Festival-NANAIMO 2015:

Thursday, April 30, 2015

• 3:00 – 5:00pm, Location: Nanaimo Museum, 100 Museum Way Host: Mary Ann Moore
• The Living Room Cascadia : A free and open democratic reading where people read their own work and listen to others in a circle format. Mary Ann Moore, Naomi Beth Wakan, Kim Clark, Philip Gordon, Ursula Vaira, Yvonne Blomer, Leanne McIntosh, Chris Hancock Donaldson Kim Goldberg, David Fraser, Ann Graham Walker, plus more. This event will be a the kick-off celebration for the festival involving local islands poets, the public and early attendees of the festival.

Friday, May 1, 2015

• 9:00 – 9:55 pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203
• Viewing of the Documentary: “The Line Has Shattered” (Other Showing Times Remaining Saturday May 2 at 1:00-1:55 and Sunday May 3 at 1:45-2:35
• 10:15 – 12:15 pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Paul Nelson
• Cascadia Geography: Place and Spirit, David McCloskey, Professor Emeritus at Seattle University and Founder of the Cascadia Institute. The “Father of Cascadia” says: “Cascadia is a real place! A quick tour of the latest images and understandings of Cascadia’s geography and ecology making it a distinctive bioregion with its own character and context.”
• 12:30 – 2:00 pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Nadine Maestas
• Panel 1 – 100 Innovative Cascadia Poets Anthology: The Making of the Book. What defines Cascadia’s innovative poetry? What has been innovative historically? In what directions is Cascadia’s poetry going in the future. Where poetic tradition and history merges with the future.
• Panelists: Paul Nelson, Barry McKinnon, George Stanley, Ursula Vaira
• 2:15 – 5:15 pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 103 (Workshop $60) Host Philip Gordon
• Workshop #2: Anastacia Tolbert/ Missie Peters Spoken Word Writing and Staging Workshop
• 3:00 – 5:00pm Location: Nanaimo Museum, 100 Museum Way Host: Leanne McIntosh
• The Living Room: A free and open democratic reading where people read their own work and listen to others in a circle format.
• 7:30 – 9:30pm, Location: Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Paul Nelson
• 100 Innovative Cascadia Poets Anthology, Make It True
• Naomi Beth Wakan: Welcome to Nanaimo
• Headliners: Barry McKinnon, George Stanley, Sharon Thesen, Peter Culley, Christine Leclerc, Renee Sarojini Saklikar, Christine Lowther
• 10:00pm – Onward, Location: The Globe Bar and Grill, 25 Front Street Host: Graham Isaac
• The Marmot Cascadia Spoken-Word Bout: Cascadia poets compete for the right to be crowned the Cascadia Marmot Champ: Amber Dawn, Missie Peters, Sebastien Wen, Sara Brickman, Robert Lashley, Dan Raphael, Nadine Maestas, Anastacia Tolbert

Saturday, May 2, 2015

• 9:30 – 11:00am, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Kim Goldberg
• Panel 2: Where Geography, Culture, and Language Instersect
• Panelists: David McCloskey, Robert Bringhurst, Harold Rhenisch
• 11:10 – 12: 40pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Ann Graham Walker
• Panel 3: The Ground is Always Shifting
• Aspects of Living Together in a Geographically, Culturally, Socially Diverse Bio-Region
• Panelists: Amber Dawn, Anastacia Tolbert, Garry Gottfriedson
• 1:00-1:55pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203
• Viewing of the Documentary: “The Line Has Shattered”
• (Other Showing Time Remaining Sunday May 3 at 1:15-2:10)
• 2:00 – 5:00pm, Location VIU Bldg. 355, Room 103 (Workshop cost $60) Host: Ursula Vaira
• Workshop #4: Brenda Hillman, Barry McKinnon, George Stanley
• 3:00 – 5:00pm, Location: Nanaimo Museum, 100 Museum Way Host: Naomi Beth Wakan
• The Living Room: A free and open democratic reading where people read their own work and listen to others in a circle format.
• 7:30 – 9:30pm, Location: Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Paul Nelson
• Keynote Speaker: Sam Hamill
• Cascadia Poets from Different Regions
• Yvonne Blomer (Victoria) Brenda Hillman, (Northern California) Amber Dawn, (Vancouver) Susan Musgrave, (Haida Gwaii) Garry Gottfiriedson, (Kamloops) Harold Rhenisch (Okanagan)
• 10:00pm – Onward, Location: The Globe Bar and Grill, 25 Front Street Host: Graham Isaac
• The After Party Marathon: 30 + poets from around Cascadia read one poem each with lot of time for socializing between the three sets.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

• 9:30 – 11:00am, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Kim Goldberg
• Panel 4: Rewilding Poetry (Eco-Poetry in Cascadia)
• Panelists: Rita Wong, Christine Leclerc , Sharon Thesen, Stephen Collis
• 11:30: – 1:00pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host Mary Ann Moore
• Panel 5: On The Margins: who or what is ‘marginal’? Who or what is considered visible, and worthy of being historical?
• Panelists: Nadine Maestas, Joanne Arnott, Janet Marie Rogers, Susan Musgrave, Renée Sarojini Saklikar
• 1:45 – 2:35pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203
• Viewing of the Documentary: The Line Has Shattered
• 3:00 – 5:30pm, Location: VIU Bldg. 355, Room 203 Host: Yvonne Blomer
• Cascadia Poetry Festival Celebration Readings
• Poets: Rita Wong, Joanne Arnott, Paul Nelson, Sam Hamill, Robert Bringhurst, Janet Marie Rogers, Jay Ruzesky
• Brief Afterwords by Paul Nelson & David Fraser

Small Press Fair

Registration is now open for the Cascadia Poetry Festival Small Press Fair taking place in the student lounge of Building 355 at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo. This sunny roomy lounge with the great views of the harbour and its protective islands is located next to the Ralph Gustafson Theatre, where most of the events take place. It is a natural area for participants to visit the small presses and to sit and chat over tea or coffee. The lounge also opens to an outdoor seating area.

For $100, each participating organization (not limited to small presses) will receive a 4-foot-long table and have its logo featured in our printed program and on the website. Participants receive 4 Gold Passes valued at $25.00 each, granting admittance to all events with the exception of the writing workshops. Please note that some events have limited space and are first come, first served.

For $50, micro-presses etc. will receive 1/2 table and have their logo on the website, plus 2 Gold Passes.

Participants are responsible for their own table coverings and signage. Load-in and set up is Friday 8:30 to 10:00 May 1, 2015. Vehicles must be removed from the street by 9:30 a.m. Access by vehicle is via Fourth Street [map]. Small Press Fair Hours: Friday and Saturday (May 1 and 2): 9:00–2:30, 6:30–9:30 p.m. Sunday (May 3): 9:00–5:30 p.m. The room will be locked during the off hours, giving everyone time to enjoy the festival events.

Festival Sponsors

SPECIAL THANKS

A huge thank you to our Nanaimo organizing committee and partners, Yvonne Blomer, Kim Clark, David Fraser, Kim Goldberg, Philip Gordon, Shaleeta Harper, Leanne MacIntosh, Mary Anne Moore, Jay Ruzesky, Ursula Vaira, Naomi Beth Wakan, and Ann Graham Walker, and to our colleagues in Seattle, Brandon Letsinger, Nadine Antoinette Maestas, and Paul Nelson. Thanks also to all the poets participating in this year’s festival and thank you to our many volunteers.

We are especially grateful to Jay Ruzesky for his support and for arranging our use of the Vancouver Island University facilities. A thank you to the main organaiations and businesses that hosted events and provided accommodation for the poets: The Painted Turtle Guest House, Coast Bastion Hotel, Nanaimo Museum, and the Globe Bar and Grille.

Thanks also to all of our Indiegogo supporters and to individuals who donated to the Cascadia Poetry Festival. We could not have put this event on without your support.

Thank you to Sherry Kirkvold who kindly offered to donate her brand new plush Vancouver Island Marmot to Cascadia Poetry Festival as the trophy for the Cascadia Marmot Bout.