Shab-e She’r Poetry Month 2023 Report

Shab-e She’r Poetry Month 2023 Report?

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Arts/Convocation Hall, University of Alberta Campus

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Shab-e She’r Poetry Month Open Mic on April 25, 2023 was as tumultuous as poetry can be. ?

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We had poetry month posters and bookmarks courtesy of the League of Canadian Poets as well as posters announcing the call for submissions and contributions to the anthology: “Woman, Life, Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution.”

Here are the people who read on the open mic:

1.????Dan Poitras

2.????Luciana Erregue

3.????Latifat

4.????Max Vandersteen

5.????Cala Jorgensen

6.????Jean-Jacques Chateauneuf

7.????Meghan Eaker

8.????Michael Przystupa

9.????Kathy Fisher

10.?Maham

11.?Trevor Hughes

12.?Adriana Oni??

13.?Jessica

And, I read a poem at the end.

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Huge thanks to all who attended and everyone who spread the word.

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This was a night when a few words went wrong, not in poetry, mind you, but in real life. And, when real life invades the poetry night, the notions of bravery, honesty, and provocation come to a head. In a nutshell, the moral of the night was that the answer to a poem is another poem, but misbehaviour still gets you tossed out. Go figure!

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This was Shab-e She’r last event on University of Alberta campus. As I go back to Toronto at the end of my residency (end of May), I plan to continue the series there, if I can get a venue affordable for the poetry crowd.

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Meanwhile, share the call for submissions and individual and institutional donations to the anthology, “Woman, Life, Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution.” Here is the link: https://guernicaeditions.com/pages/submissions

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There are still a few days left in the poetry month, so take advantage of events in your city. If you are in Edmonton, check out Edmonton Poetry Festival events: https://edmontonpoetryfestival.com/

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Much love,

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B?noo Zan

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Shab-e She’r Founder, organizer, & host

University of Alberta Writer-in-Residence Sept 2022-May 2023