Joe Blades : Džo Blejds: FREDERICTON POET TO COMMIT ‘RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY’

26 August 2007

FREDERICTON POET TO COMMIT ‘RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY’

Random Acts of Poetry, a celebration of poetry and literacy, begins its fourth year during the week of October 1st to 7th, 2007. Random Acts of Poetry is a project of the Victoria READ Society, a non-profit literacy organization, established in 1976. Random Acts of Poetry is funded by The Canada Council for the Arts.

During the week, 37 poets across Canada, from Victoria to Newfoundland, including three of Canada’s Poet Laureates, will commit Random Acts of Poetry in their cities. On buses and subways, in donut shops and cafes, police stations, grocery stores, curling rinks, on city streets and country lanes, poets will read poems to strangers and give them their books. Poets will also read their poems in ESL and Adult Literacy classes across the country.

In Fredericton and Oromocto, just one poet will offer poems to passersby: Joe Blades—artist/writer/ known-world Viking. Blades has published four books of poetry and is also regional representative for the League of Canadian Poets and a member of the BlackTop Motorcycle Gang writers group.

“Poetry,” says Wendy Morton, “is the shortest distance between two hearts. I have read poems to people who hadn’t heard a poem in thirty years, and watched their eyes fill up with tears. Some burst into laughter or laid a hand on my shoulder, hugged me, took my hand. Poetry can connect us with each other as humans as no other art form I know. Poetry is a gift that we can create from whatever life has in store for us.”

Across Canada poets will commit random acts in: Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Moose Jaw, Winnipeg, Stratford, Markdale, Brantford, Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor, Hamilton, Montreal, Fredericton, Oromocto, Charlottetown, Halifax, Antigonish, and St. John’s.

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