MOCAMBOPO
POETRY & PERFORMANCE READING SERIES.
A FEATURE WRITER & OPEN MIKE EVERY WEEK
SCHEDULE FOR READING SERIES 2000
January 21, 2000 Chris Smart
Chris Smart, wild woman, mother of one, performance poet from Salt Spring Island, has published her poems in Grain, CVII, Other Voices and is published in three Outlaw Editions anthologies edited by Patrick Lane: Conception, Community of Monsters and Blindfolds. By day she is a community health nurse.
January 28, 2000 Evelyn Lau
Evelyn Lau has won the Milton Acorn Award for Poetry. She was the youngest poet nominated for the Governor General's Award for Poetry in 1992. Her latest book of poetry is In the House of Slaves, published by Coach House in 1994. Her novel, Other Women, was published in 1995 by Random House.
February 4, 2000 Andrea McKenzie
Andrea McKenzie, 24, was born in Smithers, B.C. and has lived in Victoria
ever since. She has even managed to remain living in the same neighborhood,
although she also found a few poetic inspirations while travelling through
Western Europe and the U.K. last summer. Andrea is a 4th year English major
at the University of Victoria. She was a featured poet at Mocambo Cafe in
February 1999 and hopes to eventually achieve the task of being published. She writes poems about train rides, and love in New Zealand, New York & Wal-Mart.
February 11, 2000 Patrick Lane
Patrick Lane has won every major poetry prize in Canada including the Governor General's award and the B.C. Book Prize. His latest book of poetry is Selected Poems published in 1997 by McLelland & Stewart.
February 18, 2000 Sara Cassidy
Sara Cassidy has been published in Grain, CV 2 and Geist. Her chapbook, published in the Hawthorne series, is entitled Ultrasound for the Heart. She is involved in artistic and social causes as well as being a full time mother to Hazel, already a poetry fan.
February 25, 2000 Julie Bruck and Marlene Cookshaw
Julie's second book of poetry The End of Travel was published in September 1999.
Julie is a native Montrealer who now lives in San Francisco, California with her husband and daughter. She has taught creative writing at Concordia University in MontrŽal, and was a regular contributer on CBC radio. She has also worked as a publicist.
Bruck's first book, The Woman Downstairs (Brick), received QSPELL's A.M. Klein Award in 1994. The book was lauded as a remarkable first volume, and Bruck herself judged a poet worth watching.
Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and journals across North America, including The NewYorker, Ms., Carousel and Celidih. Her poetry has been broadcast on CBC Radio's Morningside and CKUT Radio's Wired on Words.
Marlene Cookshaw's new book of poetry is called Double Somersaults and will be published by the end of November 1999.
Marlene was born and raised in south Alberta, where she attended Winston Churchill High School and the University of Lethbridge. She moved to the west coast of BC in 1979, and received a B.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria in 1984. She lives in an old farmhouse on Pender Island with fiction writer Michael Kenyon and a Hungarian Vizsla named Ge'za; she keeps a large garden and a dozen ducks.
She has been a member of The Malahat Review's editorial board since 1985, and is currently Acting Editor. She has served on juries for various writing awards, including the BC Book Prize for Poetry, BC Festival of the Arts literary scholarships, Malahat's Long Poem Prize, the Prince Edward Island Literary Competition, and the BC provincial scholarships.
Cookshaw's other works are: Personal Luggage (Coach House Press, 1984), The Whole Elephant (Brick Books, 1989), Coupling (chapbook ÷ Outlaw Editions, 1994;1998) and Bottomland (chapbook ÷ Reference West, 1995). Her work has appeared widely in literary journals and anthologies, and has been featured on CBC Radio. The Whole Elephant was a runner-up for the BC Book Prize. "Jan Garbarek's Saxophone" won 1st prize in the League of Canadian Poets competition (1997); "Open and Close" won 1st prize in Arc's Poem of the Year competition (1997).
March 3, 2000 Spenser Maybee
Spencer Maybee is a UVic writing student who has been published in the Inner Harbour Review and his high school yearbook. His poetry is socially charged, often exploring Canadian cultural identity at the personal level and it is charged with language, sometimes simple and sometimes recondite. He was born in Toronto and grew up there before making his diaspora to the West. He loves his friends and family and Canada.
Spencer writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction. He will be graduating from the writing program at the University of Victoria in 2000 and he intends to start the new millenium with enthusiastic words and a new hat.
March 10, 2000 Brian Brett
A Canada Council reading featuring Brian Brett, a prolific author who cultivates his garden on Salt Spring where he raises sheep, peacocks, a parrot and writes. In 1998, his book of poems, The Colour of Bones in a Stream, was published by Sono Nis Press.
Bring wine, Sharon, and we'll lie naked
on the white shells of history at the beach.
We'll take this coast and eat it,
the body of our years like a glass
of good drink
March 17, 2000 Beth Kope
Beth Kope has been writing for decades but is just beginning to let her poetic voice speak out loud. She writes about loss, grief, abandonment, bad mothers and pigs. Her poems appear in three Outlaw Editions anthologies: Conception, Community of Monsters and Blindfolds, edited by Patrick Lane.
March 24, 2000 Esta Spalding
Esta Spalding is the author of three books of poetry from House of Anasi Press: Carrying Place, nominated for the Gerald Lampert award; Anchoress, nominated for the recently published Lost August. She writes for the CBC Television series, Da Vinci's Inquest.
March 31, 2000 Vivian Hansen
Vivian Hansen is a Calgary writer and poet. Her chapbook, Never Call It Bird, was published in 1998. Her work appears in Our Grandmothers, Ourselves, published by Raincoast Books. Joy Kogawa wrote the forward. Several other writers from this collection will read with Vivian.
April 7, 2000 Liz Gontard
Liz is an Ontario native, who left the rolling hills, for the REAL
mountains of Atlin, B.C. six years ago. She is a creative writing major at
UVic. She's been published in the New Quarterly, the Yukon News and the
Emily.
April 14, 2000 Steven Heighton
Steven Heighton won the 1993 Trillium Award for his short
stories Flight Paths of the Emperor. His second collection of short stories,
On earth as it was, was chosen by the Toronto Star as one of the best
books of 1995. He was also a Governor General's Award finalist in 1995 for his
poetry collection, The Ecstasy of Skeptics. He lives in Toronto and is
currently reading the proofs for his new novel, The Shadow Boxer, to be published
this spring by Knopf and Granta.
April 21, 2000 Racheal Wyatt & Ron Smith
Rachael Wyatt served as Director of Writing at the Banff
Centre for the Arts from 1991 to 1999. She has published four novels, and written
over a hundred radio dramas. Her latest book, Mona Lisa Smiled A Little,
is published by Oolichan Books.
Ron Smith is the founder and publisher of Oolichan Books. His book of short
stories, What Men Know About Women, was published to celebrate Oolichan's
25th anniversary. The title story begins, " Nothing. We know absolutely
nothing."
April 28, 2000 Zaffi Gousopoulos & Anita Roberts
Zaffi Gousopoulos is a Toronto
based writer and performer. She has trademarked the name, "Queen of Canada".
Her book, the bride of Inglish is published by Broken Jaw Press.
Anita Roberts, a teacher and poet, has inspired many of her students to listen
to the muse. She is a Mocambopo prize winning poet. She may be the "Queen
of Poetry" at Esquimalt Community School.
May 5, 2000 Patricia and Terrance Young
Patricia Young has published 7 books of poetry,
won a bushel basket full of awards, including the Pat Lowther Memorial Prize,
the BC Book Prize, and the League of Canadian Poets National competition. Her
latest book, What I remember from my time on earth, is published by Anansi.
She was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for poetry for her book, More
Watery Still.
Terence Young's first collection of poetry, The Island in Winter, was nominated
in 1999 for the Governor General's award. His first book of fiction, Berlin
Wall, will be published by Raincoast Books this year.
May 12, 2000 Karen Schlanka
Karen Shlanka is a doctor on Salt Spring Island and a poet, whose poems
appear in three Outlaw Editions anthologies edited by Patrick Lane. Last year
she got married. This year she's learned to tango.
John Gould
John Gould is the author of two collections of short prose pieces, The
Kingdom of Heaven: Eighty-Eight Palm of the Hand Stories and Misterioso.
He is the co-ordinator of the Otherwords writing program for the BC
Festival of the Arts.
May 19, 2000 Sharon Thesen
Sharon Thesen latest book of poetry, New and Selected
Poems, was published by Talon Books in 1999. Her book of poetry, A Pair
of Scissors, will be published this year by House of Anansi. She has had
seven books of poetry books published. She is the former editor of the Capilano
Review and teaches at Capilano College.
Margaret Christakos
Margaret is a writer and editor who has lived in Toronto
for the past decade. She has taught creative writing at the Ontario College
of Art and Design and has three books of poetry, The Moment Coming,
is her latest.
May 26, 2000 Joelene Heathcote
Jolene Heathcote has had her poems published in Event, The Antigonish
Review and her poems will be published in the latest anthology from Sono
Nis Press, Breaking the Surface.
June 2, 2000 The Next Generation
Student/poets from Claremont Senior Seconday School, Esquimalt Community
School and St. Micheal's University School jump into the spotlight, having
been well taught by teachers Susan Stenson, Antia Roberts and Terence Young.
June 9, 2000 Rona Murray
Rona Murray is the author of seven books of poetry, including Adam and
Eve in Middle Age , published by Sono Nis Press. She has written plays
and short stories and is widely anthologized.
June 16, 2000 Mona Fertig & Susan Gee
Mona Fertig's latest book of prose poems, Sex, Death & Travel, has
been published by Oolichan Books. Her poetry is widely published in literary
journals and anthologies. She lives on Salt Spring Island, where she runs
a letterpress studio and runs a writer's retreat.
Susan Gee, Victoria poet, a former CBC writer and broadcaster and is now a
professional communication director for the Provincial Government. Her poems
have appeared in Event. She is also a Mocambopo prize winning poet.
June 23, 2000 Marilyn Bowering, Lorna Crozier, Susan Musgrave, Linda Rogers,
Patricia Young & Their Proteges
These poetry stars introduce their moonbeams: a new generation of poets
who have chosen poetry as the vocation that explains the human heart. All
of these poets will be reading from Breaking the Surface, an anthology
recently published by Sono Nis Press.
June 30, 2000 Mocambopo's 5th Anniversary
Prizes for everyone! Balloons! Cake! Dancing Girls?
A poetry feast!
Mocambopo will be celebrating its 5th anniversary on June 30, 2000. For
the last 5 years the best writers in Canada have come through our door to
read their work. Mocambopo has been running every Friday night for five years.
We have been generously funded by the League of Canadian Poets and the Canada
Council for the Arts.
On June 30th we are inviting Victoria writers, the press and the mayor to
attend at Mocambo Coffeee, 1028 Blanshard Street, which is Mocambopo's home
every Friday night. We are asking everyone to read their favorite poem and
then they will get a prize. We would appreciate any product contribution you
could make. All contributors will be listed in a handout and announced as
each prize is given.
We thank you very much for supporting the arts in Victoria.
July 7, 2000 Barbara Colebrook Peace
Barbara Colebrook Peace is an editor and poet. She writes of gargoyles
and quotes Lewis Carroll. Hearing her read her poems is a lovely experience.
She has been widely published in collections and journals and is one of the
proteges in Breaking the Surface, recently published by Sono Nis Press.
July 14, 2000 Murray McCullough
Murray McCullough, while not working satisfactorily to complete his year
at St. Micheal's enjoys attempting to sing and both writing and reading poetry.
This is his first solo featured reading at Mocambopo. His teacher, Terence
Young, says he has the soul of a poet.
July 21, 2000 Meg Walker & Jodi Lundgren
Meg Walker lives with her cat Don Quixote. She is a painter, writer and
world traveler. When she is in one place, she writes poetry reviews for Monday
Magazine. She has been published in Grain. She shares space in her
head with Emily Dickenson and Mark Rothko among others. She will be reading
with her friend, ex-Victorian, Jodi Lundgren whose first novel, Touched,
was recently published by Anvil Press in Vancouver.
July 28, 2000 Yvonne Blomer
Yvonne Blomer recently returned to Victoria after two and a half years
in Japan, followed by three months cycling from Hanoi to Khala Lampur. She
participated in Otherwords 97 and is currently working on a book of
poems entitled Small Japan as well as a travel book.
August 4, 2000 Clive & Lindsay Beal
Clive Beal sleeps on Long Beach without a tent, repairs copy machines,
studies the I Ching and is an artist and a poet. His sister, Lindsay, is a
psychology student at UVic. She gets A+'s on her essays and wants to be a
writer. She works with people at Blooming Humans and is blooming as a poet.
August 11, 2000 Richard Stevenson
Former Victorian, Richard Stevenson, has published 9 books
of poetry and now teaches English in Lethbridge. He also performs with the
jazz poetry group Naked Ear. He has promised a night of jazz and poetry.
August 18, 2000 Camilla Morrow
Camilla Morrow teaches ELS and Spanish to adults and much
of her adult life has been spent living in Latin America and Asia. Her chapbook,
flying pigeon dreams, has just been published by Precanous Press. She
has had her poems published in Event and Saltwater Annual Poetry
Contest.
August 25, 2000: William George
UVic writing and English student William George is from
the Burrard Indian Reserve in North Vancouver. His poetry and prose are published
in various anthologies and literary magazines; he draws on his native heritage
in the language of his poetry.
September 1, 2000: Roy Green
Roy Green is a painter/poet/performance artist and professional
pet portraitist. He is the founding member of the interpretive dance ensemble
The Hermaphrodite Brotherhood. He was born in the year of the dog and enjoys
eating cheese.
September 8, 2000: Stephen Noyes
Stephen Noyes has published three books of poetry, including Hurriya,
which took him seven years to write. Many of his poems are set in China and some
are read in Chinese. His poems are intense and reflective; he daydreams in Victoria,
where he teaches English.
September 15, 2000: Allen Bell
Allen Bell collaborated with Atom Egoyan on the screenplays for The Adjuster
and The Sweet Hereafter. He teaches screen writing at the University of
Victoria and his book of poetry, Puppet Poems has just been published.
September 22, 2000: Glen Sorestad & Pete Trower
Glen Sorestad is the author of eleven books of poetry. He has given over 200
poetry readings . His most recent book, Today I Belong to Agnes, which
chronicles the final years of his elderly mother's life with compassion and humour,
is published by Ekstasis Editions.
Pete Trower is well known a poet of West Coast logging life. His poems have a
tonal range, encompassing mountains and valleys and the ocean depths. He is the
author of 10 books of poetry. His collection Chainsaws in the Cathedral
has been published by Ekstasis Editions, who will soon be publishing Pete Trower's
love poems.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the The Canada Council for the Arts &
The League of Canadian Poets
September 29, 2000: bill bissett& Mark Cochrane
bill bissett is the author of over 40 books of poetry. He has been called "
a one-man civilization". He survives by selling his books, tapes and doing readings
around the world.
Mark Cochrane is a graduate of the M.A. program in Creative Writing at Concordia
University. His most recent book, Change Room, published by Talonbooks, deals
with sports culture, voyeurism and pop kitsch . He has given readings to astonished
audiences of people working out in gyms.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The League of Canadian Poets and The
Canada Council for the Arts.
October 6, 2000: Robert Priest
Robert Priest is a poet and singer in the bardic tradition. He is a renowned
spoken word performer and has published ten books of poetry. He lives in Toronto
and when he travels to the West Coast, he is revived.
October 13, 2000: Margo Button
Margo Button's first book of poetry, The Unhinging of Wings, published by Oolichan
Books, won the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her second book, The Shadows Fall
Behind, is the sequel to her first book, about the suicide of her son, who was
diagnosed with schizophrenia and who five years later killed himself. The new
poems are about coming to terms with his death.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and the
League of Canadian Poets.
October 20, 2000: Paddy McCallum & Wendy McGrath
Paddy McCallum's poems have appeared in literary journals, in anthologies and
his new book, Parable Beach has just been published by Beach Holme Press.
Wendy McGrath's poems have received the James Patrick Folinbee Prize from the
University of Alberta. Her poems have been broadcast on the CBC. Her first book
of poems, Common Place Ecstasies is published by Beach Holme Press.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and The
League of Canadian Poets
October 27, 2000: Susan McCaslin & Dorothy Rodgers
Susan McCaslin is a poet and creative writing instructor at Douglas College.
Her focus is on the spiritual life that resonates in each of us. Her poems have
appeared in literary journals across Canada. She is the editor of A Matter of
Spirit, published by Ekstasis Editions.
Dorothy Rodgers was born on the island of Malta. She is an ex-commercial fish
slave, an ex-treeplanter, mother of one, a sometime traveller, perennial bon vivante
and a complete fool for love. She is presently a graduate student at Uvic, where
she is counting the days.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and The
League of Canadian Poets
November 3, 2000: Gary Geddes & Timothy Brownlow
Gary Geddes is well know as the editor of 15 Canadian Poets x2, 20th Centry
Poetry and Poetics and The Art of Short Fiction. He is an award winning poet.
His is currently teaching at Western Washington University as distinguished professor
of Canadian Culture.
Timothy Brownlow has been publishing poetry since 1960 and is represented in the
Penguin Book of Irish Verse. His book, Climbing Croagh Patrick has been published
by Oolichan Books.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts & The
League of Canadian Poets
November 10, 2000: Susan Stenson
Susan Stenson is the winner of the 1999 League of Canadian Poets National Poetry
Competition. Her poems have appeared in many Canadian literary magazines, in the
Poetry in Transit program and in the anthology Threshold: six women, six poets,
edited by Rona Murray. Her first book of poetry will be published by Sono Nis
Press next year.
November 17, 2000: John Pass
John Pass has been widely published in Canadian literary magazines. He was
nominated for a BC Book Award in 1992 and received a BC Cultural Services Award
in 1996. His latest book, Water Stair, is published by Oolichan Books.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canadian Council for the Arts and
the League of Canadian Poets.
November 24, 2000: Wendy Morton
Wendy Morton is the current host of Mocambopo. She has been published in three
anthologies edited by Patrick Lane and published by Outlaw editions and her poems
have been published in The Antigonish Review. She always carries a few poems with
her in the case of an emergency, and once was stopped for speeding, pulled out
a poem and read her way out of a ticket.
December 1, 2000: Sandy Shreve
Sandy Shreve is the author of three books of poetry, her most recent book is
Belonging, published by Sono Nis Press. She initiated and coordinated "Poetry
in Transit", a project to display B.C. poetry on buses and skytrains.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the League of Canadian Poets and The
Canada Council for the Arts
December 8, 2000: Yvonne Owens
Yvonne Owens will present A Midwinter's Tale to celebrate the winter solstice.
She is the author of The Witches Book of Days. This is a Mocambopo solstice celebration:
mulled wine and delicious poems to end the year.
~ the mopo archives ~ poets ~ poems ~ posters ~
Preview The 2000 Reading Series without or with bios!
The venue ~ Mocambo Coffee ~
Updated August 21, 2000.