Bill Gaston is chairman of the Creative Writing Department at the University of Victoria. He has published 8 books: 4 novels, 3 collections of short stories and one book of poetry. His latest novel, The Good Body, has been published by Stoddart Press.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts
& The League of Canadian Poets.
Jessica Chan and Miguel MacDonald are writing students at the University
of Victoria. They both write poetry and for the news. Jessica at The Martlet.
Miguel spent the summer in Sooke reporting on hot news for the Sooke News
Mirror.
Richard Olafson is the publisher of Ekstasis Editions and is soon to publish
his 200th book. He has published many established Canadian poets and fiction
writers as well as unknown writers. Richard is a fine poet in his own right.
Patrick Friesen is a poet and a playwright. He won the Manitoba Book of the Year Award for Blasphemer's Wheel and was nominated for the Governor General's Award for Poetry in 1997 for A Broken Bowl. His most recent book of poems, Carrying the Shadow was published in 1999 by Beach Holme.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts
& The League of Canadian Poets.
Patrick Lane and Lorna Crozier help us to celebrate Valentine's day by
reading poems they have written for each other. Between them they have won
every major poetry prize in Canada. They both teach at the University of Victoria.
Lorna Crozier's latest book is What the living won't let go, published
by McClelland & Stewart. Patrick Lane's latest book The Bare Plum of Winter
Rain is published by Harbour Publishing.
Kevin Roberts is the author of 11 books of poetry, 8 plays, 2 books of
short stories and the award winning novel, Tears in a Glass Eye. In
his recent book of poems, Cobalt 3, published by Ronsdale Press, he
recreates his recent experience with cancer. He writes "I'm lucky to
be blessed with muse and craft to give readers a glance into the mirrored
underworld of cancer and its treatment".
Marilyn Bowering has won the 1997 Pat Lawther Prize for Poetry and was nominated for the Governor General's Award. Her latest novel, Visible Worlds received the 1998 Ethel Wilson Prize. Her most recent book of poems, Human Bodies: New and Collected Poems is published by Beach Holme.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts
and the League of Canadian Poets.
Robert Gore writes in collision and collusion with language, sings in
the acapella world music group Pastime with Good Company and is a librarian
in Vancouver. He is widely published in literary journals. His poetry is rich
with images and colour.
Sherri D. Wilson is on of Canada's most prominent performance poets. She has performed her poetry and one-woman shows across Canada and the U.S. Her latest book is The Sweet Taste of Lightening, published by Arsenal Pulp Press.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts
and the League of Canadian Poets.
Karen Connelly is the author of several books of poetry and non-fiction. She is the recipient of the Pat Lowther Award for poetry and the Governor General's award for non-fiction. Her latest book of poetry, The Border Surrounds Us, is published by McClelland & Stewart.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts
and the League of Canadian Poets.
Mocambopo celebrates this day with an open mike with readings that cross
our borders and take on the world and its beauty and terror. There will be
worldly prizes for all readers.
Pete Trower is well known as a poet of West Coast logging life. His poems
have a tonal range, encompassing mountains and valleys and ocean depths. He
is the author of 10 books of poetry. His collections, Chainsaws in the Cathedral
and A Ship Called Destiny, have been published by Ekstasis Editons.
Hiro McIlwraithís first novel, Shahnaz, published by Oolichan
Books, describes the mother's insanity, the gulf between wealth and poverty.
She writes in the footstep of Anita Rau Badami. It has been called "a revolutionary
book".
Poets Susan Stenson, Eve Joseph, Russell Thornton and Dave Margoshes read
from Vintage 1999 and Vintage 2000, published by Ronsdale Press, which is filled
with poems of the winners of the League of Canadian Poets National Contest.
Tannis MacDonald worked for many years in adult education in Toronto. Her
first chapbook, This Speaking Planet, won the Milton Acorn-Muriel Rukeyser
Award in 1997. Her first book of poetry, Holding Ground,, was published
by Seraphim Editons. It has been nominated for the John Hirsch Award.
Miranda Pearson's first book of poetry, Prime, has been published by
Beach Holme Publishing. She has been a poetry editor for Prism international.
She has taught creative writing at S.F.U. and U.B.C. Her poems have appeared
in numerous literary journals.
Shannon Cowan's first novel, Leaving Winter, has been
published by Oolichan Books. It is a multi-generational tale of guilt and forgiveness,
where aging, faithlessness and passion shape the erosion and eventual redemption
of a family. Followed by three months cycling from Hanoi to Khala Lamppur. She
is currently working on a book of poems entitled, Small Japan, as well
as a travel book.
Zoe Lansdale's third book of poetry, Blue in the Country, has recently been published by Ronsdale Press. She has been a deck hand, a garden designer and currently a teacher of Creative Writing at North Island College in Courtenay. She likes to bake, grows a garden and writes of the "salt gulf" of her island life.
James Bertolino teaches writing at the University of Western
Washington. He has been writing poetry for 35 years, has published 10 books
of poetry. His work appears in numerous anthologies and hundreds of literary
journals. He has won many awards. He says of his poetry: "as a poet I've
tried to enact in my language everything I've experienced, all that my imagination
and intuition have described and have tried to exclude nothing".
Students from Claremont Secondary School, Oak Bay Senior Secondary and St. Michael's University School show their poetic talents as they jump into the spotlight.
Meg Walker is a painter, writer and world traveler. She has recently become
the "Calendar grrl" at Monday Magazine. She shares space in her head
with Emily Dickenson and Mark Rothko, among others. She has been known to hang
her books from the trees and write a poem which included bubbles emerging from
what everyone thought was a pen.
John Lund is either a photographer/writer with an MA in history or a historian who happens to be a poet/photographer. His second chapbook will be launched at this reading. Any facsimile of a real or living person is purely coincidental.
Susan Stenson's poetry has appeared in many Canadian journals, on the CBC,
on Poetry in Transit and the poetry anthology Threshold. She won the
League of Canadian Poet's National Poetry Contest in 1999. Her first book of
poetry, Could Love a Man, has recently been published by Sono Nis Press.
Barbara Colebrook Peace is a freelance editor. Her poetry has been widely published in journals and in two anthologies, Threshold and Breaking the Surface, published by Sono Nis Press. Her first book of poetry, Kryie, also been published by Sono Nis.
Get a preview of some of the instructors of the Victoria School of Writing
which will be held from July 15th to July 20th, 2001. Nicki Tate is a storyteller
and award winning author of Tarragon Island and No Cafes in Narnia.
Sue Wheeler is a poet whose work has been shortlisted for the Pat Lawther and
Gerald Lampert awards. Her latest book is Slow Moving Target, published
by Brick Books.
Yvonne Blomer recently returned to Victoria, after two and
a half years in Japan.
Beth Kope has been writing poetry for decades. She writes about grief, loss, abandonment, bad mothers and pigs. Her poems have appeared in four Outlaw Editions anthologies: Conception, Community of Monsters, Blindfolds, Other Abductions.
Lori Able imagines maple, beech and ash; they are part of her imaginative landscape. Her poems have appeared in grain, and the anthology Wrestling with the Angel. She teaches literature and writing at Camosun College.
William Knowles has worked as a carpenter's helper, a pizza delivery boy, a gas jockey, an auto-detailer and is currently a bike courier. He writes poetry as he moves at the speed of light around Victoria. He is currently working on his first novel.
Andrea McKenzie has travelled through Western Europe and the UK. She writes poems about train rides, love in New Zealand, New York and Wal-Mart.
William George is a Uvic Creative Writing and English student. He 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.
Anna Galon and her friends read works of outstanding contemporary Polish poets in English translation. P.K. Page thinks that this is a wonderful poetic event.
Erling Friis-Baastad has spent most of his life in the Yukon Territory.
His poems have been widely published in literary journals. His first book ,
The Exile House, has just been published. His is the co-editor of Writing
North: An Anthology of Contemporary Yukon Writers.
Patricia Robertson is a Yukon writer. Her collection of short stories, City
of Orphans, was shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Ficton Prize. Her poem
, Inukshuk, was runner up in the George Woodcock Poetry Competition.
Barbara Colebrook Peace is a poet, reviewer, and freelance editor. Her poetry has been published in literary journals, in the Sono Nis antholgies, Threshold and Breaking the Surface. Her first book of poetry, Kyrie, has just been published by Sono Nis Press.
Marlene Grand Maitre is a currently a librarian, a poet . She began writing poetry 4 years ago. Her poems go straight to the heart of things. Her poems appear in Breaking the Surface, published by Sono Nis Press, whose title comes from her poem of that name.
Grace Coburn took a poetry course with Susan Stenson and became one of "Susan's Girls". She has continued to write and she has bloomed as a poet . This is her first featured reading at Mocambopo.
Tom Henihan was born in Limerick City, Ireland. His second book of poetry, Mortar of Seeds , was published by Ekstasis Editions. He has a lyric gift, and a fine gift for reading poetry.
Mary Lou Soutar-Hynes, a Jamaican-Canadian ex-nun, is a long time Ontario educator/poet. Her first collection, the fires of naming, was recently published by Seraphim Editions. She is strongly influenced by her Caribbean roots.
Anita Roberts, a teacher and poet, has inspired many of her students to
listen to the muse. She is a prize winning poet.
Pamela Porter has a MFA in poetry, has written for many years
and has recently produced a CD, Songs for the Journey of Remembrance.
Harold Rhenish was the CBC/Tilden Saturday Night literary competition winner in 1981, 1995, 1996 and 1997. He is the author of 10 books of poetry. His latest book, The Blue Mouth of Morning, was published by Oolichan Books.
Carmen Rodriquez is a Chilean-born Vancouver poet and writer. She came to Canada as a political exile. Her writing has been widely published in journals. Her book of poems, Protracted War, was published by Women's Press. Her collection of short stories, And a Body to Remember With, was published by Arsenal Pulp Press. This collection was a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Awards.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts & The League of Canadian Poets.
Billie Livingston is the author of Going Down Swinging, published by Random House. She was the winner of This Magazine's 2000 Short Story Contest. Her first book of poetry, The Chick at the Back of the Church, has been published by Nightwood Editions.
Eric Folsom has been living in Kingston Ontario for 25 years, has published 2 books of poetry and has his third book in the works for publication by Wolsak and Wynn. His second book, What Kind of Love Did You Have in Mind? was also published by Wolsak and Wynn.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The League of Canadian Poets and The Canada Council for the Arts.
Al Moritz has published 12 volumes of poetry, various works of translation
and non-fiction. His book Rest on the Flight into Egypt, was nominated
of the 2000 Governor General's Award. He teaches literature and creative writing
at the University of Toronto.
Kuldip Gill's first book of poetry, Dharma Rasa, has been published by Nightwood Editions. Kuldip immigrated to Canada from India at the age of 5. Her poems reflect life in Canada, life in India, past and present; myth and imagination.
Jane Munro's poems are explorations of the mysteries of inner experience. Her third collection, Grief Notes & Animal Dreams is published by Brick Books.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts & The League of Canadian Poets.
Jolene Heathcote has published many poems in literary journals across Canada, as well, her poem appear in the anthology Breaking the Surface, published by Sono Nis Press. She is working on her M.A. in Creative writing at UBC. She has recently won first place in This Magazine's poetry contest, third place in the fiction contest.
Gillian Harding-Russell lives in Regina. She is the poetry editor of Event. Her first book of poetry, Candles in My Head, has recently been published by Ekstasis Editions. She has received the Saskatchewan Writer's Guild poetry prize.
Chad Norman is a nomadic poet, goes on bus tours across Canada, giving poetry workshops in schools. His latest book of poetry, These are my elders, has just been published by Broken Jaw Press.
Marilyn Dumont is a Cree/ Metis. Her first collection of poems is A Really Brown Girl, which won the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. Her second book of poetry, Green Girl Dreams Mountains, was published by Oolicahn Books. She is currently writer in residence at the University of Alberta.
Wendy Morton's first book of poetry, Private Eye, has been published by Ekstasis Editions. She takes the book with her everywhere she goes and has been known to read a poem from the book while standing in line, or talking her way out of a ticket.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets
Russell Thornton is the author of seven collections of poetry, the latest is The Fifth Window. In 2000, he won the first prize in the League of Canadian poets competition. As well he won the Arc's Poem of the Year contest in 1998.
Linda Rogers is a multi-award winning poet, having won many Canadian prizes, as well as international prizes. Her poems are reflections of the human story. She has published many books of poetry.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets.
Mocambo Nights is launched! Edited by Patrick Lane and published by Extasis Editions. Huge reading list! You won't believe your ears!
Lane, Patrick (Ed.)
Mocambo Nights: Poetry from the Mocambo Reading Series. Ekstasis Editions. ISBN
1-896860-90-7
Award-winning poet Patrick Lane is editor of this remarkable new anthology of
poetry featuring Canada's most revered writers alongside emerging poets and
brand new voices - all readers at the Mocambopo reading series in Victoria,
BC. At the Pacific edge of the country, at the southern tip of Vancouver Island,
Victoria, BC is home to one of Canada's most vibrant literary communities. Every
Friday evening for the past six years the Mocambo Cafe in downtown Victoria
has hosted 'open mike' poetry followed by a featured reader. In a crowded small
room, an eclectic assortment of poetry enthusiasts from all walks of life, drop
their weekday identities and release the poet within. Distinguished featured
poets and writers of all description mingle in an atmosphere of intense concentration
on and delight in the dancing word. Mocambo Nights serves Canadian poetry at
its freshest and finest, a collection readers will want to sample again and
again.
A portion of the proceeds of this anthology will fund a Mocambo Prize,for an
emerging writer.
Now you know what to get with that bookstore gift certificate I hope someone
gives you for Christmas.
Updated September 28, 2001.