31 POETS TO COMMIT ‘RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY’ ACROSS CANADA
Random Acts of Poetry, a celebration of poetry and literacy, begins its sixth year during the week of October 5 to 11, 2009. 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, 31 acclaimed poets across Canada, from Victoria to Newfoundland, will commit Random Acts of Poetry in their cities and adjacent small towns. On buses and subways, in donut shops and cafes, police stations, grocery stores, shelters, 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.
In Fredericton, NB, Joe Blades will paticipate for the third year. On the editorial board of
revue ellipse mag, he is Vice President–Membership Chair of the League of Canadian Poets, producer–host of the
Ashes, Paper & Beans community radio program, founding publisher of 25-year-old Broken Jaw Press, and a new grad student at the University of New Brunswick. The author of five published poetry books, including
River Suite and
from the book that doesn’t close, he has several books in the works, including
Casemate Poems (Collected). Two of his books have been translated and published in Serbian editions.
Patrick Lane, one of Canada’s premier poets, says of Random Acts of Poetry, “There are no accidents. Nothing is random. A poem sits in a poet’s pocket and jumps out when you least expect it. It can nestle in a mechanic’s ear, a politician’s hand, a waitress’s bright eye, somewhere, anywhere. You look up from work and there’s a poem. It reads itself to you. It asks you to take a break. It says: Right here. Right now.”
“Poetry,” says Wendy Morton, founder of Random Acts of Poetry, “is the shortest distance between two hearts. I have read poems to hundreds of people, many of whom 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, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Desboro, Toronto, Port Perry, Trenton, Ottawa, Port McNicoll, Windsor, Montreal, Laval, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Wolfville, Halifax, and St. John’s.
THE 31 PARTICIPANTS:
Wendy Morton, Otter Point, BC wendymorton@shaw.ca 250-642-3542
Barbara Pelman, Victoria, BC bfpelman@shaw.ca 250-480-0181
Susan Musgrave, Sidney, BC Musgrave.susan@gmail.com 250-656-5037
Leanne Boschman, Shawnigan Lake, BC lbepp@citytel.net 250-733-0896
Kim Goldberg: Nanaimo, BC goldberg@ncf.ca 250-741-8577
Leanne McIntosh, Nanaimo, BC lcmc@shaw.ca 250-754-0081
David Fraser, Nanoose Bay, BC acsentaspirations@shaw.ca 250-468-7313
Brad Cran, Vancouver, BC bradcran@hotmail.com 604-2534620
Sheri-D Wilson, Calgary, AB sheridwilson@shaw.ca 403-686-4292
Vivian Hansen, Calgary, AB vhansen@ucalgary.ca 403-239-1551
Alexis Kienlen, Edmonton, AB alexiskienlen@hotmail.com 780-988-7292
Taylor Leedahl: Saskatoon, SK taylor_rae@shaw.ca 306-291-5057
Kelly Anne Riess, Regina, SK kelly_reiss@yahoo.ca 306-585-0052
Carmelo Militano, Winnipeg, MB adpoe@mts.net204-489-7280
Kate Flaherty, Toronto, ON kkkkatie@sympatico.ca 416-699-6692
Luciano Iacobelli, Toronto, ON liacobelli@yahoo.com 416-405-5186
Domenico Capilongo, Toronto, ON domcapilong@hotmail.com 416-255-7603
Sandra Kasturi, Toronto, ON sandra.kasturi@rogers.ca 416-652-2482
Terry Ann Carter, Ottawa, ON tacarter@rogers.com 613-820-7734
James Dewar, Port Perry, ON james@creativejames.com 905-985-8389
Roger Bell: Port McNicoll, ON rogerbell@rogers.com 705-534-4214
Kristian Anderson, Desboro, ON kristananderson@hotmail.com 519-363-2771
Charles Mountford, Stratford, ON c_mountford@sympatico.ca 519-271-9459
Michael Mirolla, Montreal, QC mmirolla@rogers.ca 514-722-6803
Élizabeth Robert, Montréal, QC elizabethrobert@nochesdepoesia.com 514-347-3907
Patrick Coppens, Laval, QC patrickcoppens@videotron.ca 450-665-4884
Joe Blades, Fredericton, NB joeblades@nb.aibn.com 506-454-5127
Hugh MacDonald, Charlottetown, PEI hughmacdonald@pei.sympatico.ca 902-838-2505
Wanda Campbell, Wolfville, NS wanda.campbell@acadiau.ca 902-542-4041
Shauntay Grant, Halifax, NS shauntay@mail.com
Monica Kidd, St. John’s, NL kidd@nf.sympatico.ca 709-753-2169
Wendy Morton
Random Acts of Poetry
250-642-3542
wendymorton@shaw.ca
http://national-random-acts-of-poetry.blogspot.com 
Claire Rettie
Victoria READ Society
250-388-7225
crettie@readsociety.bc.ca
Joe Blades
Fredericton, NB
T 506 454 5127
F 506 455 5134
joeblades@nb.aibn.com
Ashes, Paper & Beans: Fredericton’s Writing & Arts Show 
Guests: Marysville singer Jen Moulton (see CMT Karaoke), and Jim Lavoie, publicist. 
Looks like I’ll be hopping the big pond (again) in a few weeks . . . with a little travel help from UNB.
A first: I haven’t been to Bulgaria before though I know one of the organizers and several presenters from a 2005 conference in Niš where I also partied with a Bulgarian theatre troupe. My Balkan adventures continue . . . 
Don’t know how the organizers have done it but conference attendees are being accommodated three nights at the 5-star Radisson Blu Hotel in downtown Sofia, opposite the National Assembly, for less than the hotel’s posted one-night rate.
Most of the conference presentations and activities are to happen at Sofia University « St Kliment Ohridski » . . . up to four simultaneous panels. 
“La Asamblea de constitución del Capítulo de Fredericton de la Academia Iberoamericana de Poesía tendrá lugar este sábado, 26 septiembre, 2009, a las 14hs en la Biblioteca Pública de Fredericton.”
The Foundational Assembly / founding meeting for Capítulo de Fredericton de la Academia Iberoamericana de Poesía / the Fredericton Chapter of the Ibero-American Academy of Poetry took place yesterday, Saturday, 26 September 2009, at 2pm at the Fredericton Public Library, 12 Carleton St.
Signing papers and recording minutes of the meeting.
Attending the founding meeting in person were: Haydée Sainz, Carlos Morales, Ana Rosales, Sophie Lavoie, Nela Rio, Maria Oancia and Joe Blades. Other founding members participated online.
Zap! I was Unionized
Base camp may be at the foot of the hill but I've been given a desk in an office above the monument's shadow in the valley. In theory I could create my own shadow but not from within the office more akin to groundhog burrow. Used to be a janitor's (now called by the euphemism "Facilities Management") room off a stairwell with empty key box and three fire extinguishers, yes, three. Has an overhead, south-facing, curtained window that can't easily be seen out of. Share it with two other grad students: one is currently teaching full-time @ UPEI (but still "has" a desk here?); the other uses the office as the video-edit suite for his research work. I need to use extension cords to get electricity to my desk.
loc: broken mapp desk
Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Mind: The Rise & Reckless Fall of Lenny Bruce, Chapters 1–3.
This photo for Christina. Halloween party some year ... Don't know Christina, but do know Monica in the foreground.
Phlip Arima: "Human Drag" 
31 POETS TO COMMIT ‘RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY’ ACROSS CANADA
Wendy Morton
Claire Rettie 
Seen B4 the opening at The Gallery last week, this disgruntled message is still chalked on the wall of NBCCD.
Montreal, Vincent Tinguely: "Burdened With a Past", "Little Thrill", "Regrets", "The Idea of Prison", "The Perfect Watchword", "No Problemo", Impure Launch promo", "Do You Have Something a Little Less Totalitarian?", "Scarlett", & "Collateral Damage"
