Peggy Herring has had her award winning short fiction publihed in literary journals. She has also written scripts for two videos on street children in Banladesh which have received awards. This is her third New Year's reading at Mocambopo.
Anita Roberts teaches English at Esquimalt Community School, is a seamstress with the whitest fingers and the blackest thread. If uranium could speak, she would translate.
Sina Quesyras grew up in the back seat of her mother's Chrysler. She completed her B.F.A. at UBC, is currently teaching at Rutgers College in New York. Her first collection, Slip, was published this fall by ECW.
Elizabeth Simpson is the author of two books, Perfection of Hope: A Soul Transformed by Critical Illness and One Man at a Time: Confessions of a Serial Monogamist. She teachers Canadian Literature at Camosun College. She confesses that she is addicted to writing, and is currently working on a novel.
Linda Rogers is a multi-prize winning poet and fiction writer. Currently the people's poet for Canada, she was recently in Cuba in the room where her two friends, one a poet, the other a politician, met Fidel Castro years ago.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and The League of Canadian Poets.
Susan Stenson teaches English and creative writing at Claremont Secondary School. Her first book of poems, Could Love a Man, was released in 2001 by Sono Nis Press. She loves her husband and kids first, poetry second.
Aislin Hunter is currently teaching at UVic. She has two books, a novella and short story collection, What's Left Us, Into the Early Hours published by Polestar, and a book of poems, At This End of The Country.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts .
Patrick Lane has published 27 books of poetry and fiction.
He has won every literary award in Canada . His latest book of poetry is Bare
Plum of Winter Rain.
Caroline Spak has been a student of Sheri D. Wilson, Canada's best performance poet. She is currently a student at the University of Victoria and is a performance poet in her own right.
Krispin Elsted is the proprietor of Barbarian Press, which has produced beautiful hand set books and ephemera for years. He is also an accomplished poet. His collection of poems, Climate and the Affections, published by Sono Nis Press, was nominated for a Governor General's award.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts .
Kelly Parson is one of six new poets in Threshold, from Sono Nis Press . Her poems have appeared in literary journals, including The Malahat Review.
Jay Ruzesky's poems and stories have appeared in Canadian and American journals. His latest book of poetry Blue Himalayan Poppies has been published by Nightwood Editions. He is on the editorial board of The Malahat Review and teaches at Malaspina University College.
Tanis MacDonald's first book of poetry Holding Ground was
published by Seraphim Editions. She was nominated for the League of
Canadian Poets' Gerald Lampert Award for best first book of poetry.
She won the Milton Acorn-Muriel Rukeyser Award in 1997. She is currently
a doctoral candidate at Uvic in English.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the League of Canadian Poets.
Jannie Edwards' first book of poetry The Possibilities of Thirst was published by Rowan Books. She teaches writing and literature at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the League of Canadian Poets.
Brian Brett is prolific writer who cultivates his garden on Salt Spring Island where he raises sheep, peacocks, a parrot and writes. The Colours of Bones in a Stream his latest book of poetry, was published by Sono Nis Press.
Sheri D. Wilson is Canada's Queen of performance poetry. She has 4 books of poetry, her fifth to be published this year by Arsenal Pulp Press. She has been featured on Bravo TV, and has recently read at a festival in Durban, South Africa.
Liz Zetlin's latest book of poetry, Taking Root was published by Seraphim Editions. She has received the Stephen Leacock Award. She lives in Ontario, and plants a garden filled with garlic.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the League of Canadian Poets.
Beth Kope has been writing for decades: she writes about loss, grief, abandonment, bad mothers and pigs. Her poems have appeared in 3 Outlaw Editions chapbooks and in the latest chapbook from Firescreen Press.
Sue Gee, a former CBC writer and broadcaster is now a professional communications director. She is also a Mocambopo prize winning poet.
Rhea Tregbov's 5th collection of poetry The Strength of Materials has been published by Wolsak & Wynn. She has taught creative writing at York University and has been on the faculty at Banff for many years. She comes to us from Toronto.
Pady McCallum's first book of poetry Parable Beach was published by Beach Holme in 2000. They have just published his second book, The Trees Are Standing In The Water. He was the winner of the Arc Millennium Prize. He lives in Gibsons, B.C.
Ruth Pierson from Toronto will read from her new book of poetry, Where No Window Was, published by BuschekBooks.
Douglas Burnet Smith's 7th book, Helsinki Drift, has been published by Beach Holme in 2002. He teaches 20th Century Liturature at St. Francis Xavier Univeristy in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where he lives. His poetry has been nominated for the Governor General's Award.
CATHERINE OWEN'S latest book, The Wrecks of Eden, has been published by Wolsak and Wynn. Her book was nominated for the Dorothy Livesey Prize. She lives in Vancouver where she has organized several reading series.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the League of Canadian Poets.
ISA MILMAN'S chapbook, Seven Fat Years, has
just been published by Frog Hollow Press. Isa is a poet,
an artist and an occupational therapist.
ERIC MILLER'S latest book, Song of the Vulgar Starling, was published by Broken Jaw Press. He teaches in the English Department at the University of Victoria. He was the winner of the Ralph Gustafson prize in 2000.
MARTIN GREY will be reading from Blues for Bird, a series of poems on the jazz great, Charlie Parker, published by Ekstasis Editions.
ALLAN BRIESMASTER'S latest book, Unleaving,
was published by Hidden Book Press. Allan has run the
ArtBar Reading Series in Toronto for many years.
SARA CASSIDY has had her chapbook, Ultrasound for the Heart, published by the Hawthorn Series. She is involved in artistic and social causes as well as being a full time mother.
ROSALEE AUGER VAN STELTEN has been a WREN, a secretary and president of a cattle sales company. She knows how to write cowboy poetry as well. Her book Pattern of Genes, was published by Frontenac House. She lives in Calgary.
Rob Filgate, recently returned from BC Festival of
the Arts, reads with some of his students from Shawnigan
Lake School. He teaches creative writing there.
Danella Pateman works at Bloomsfields and is blooming
as a poet. She has studied with Susan Stenson, reads every
week at Mocambopo. This is her first featured reading.
Ian Morris is a wonderful story teller as well as
an artist. His stories are like poems.
Seth Gotro, former host of Mocambopo, is a poet, a boxer and a legal secretary.
Aaron Gillet wires the city and the stars with his poetry.
Grant used to teach in Bella Bella. Then he decided
he wanted to be a writer and ended up in the Creative
Writing department at the University of Victoria. He is
soon off to the University of Iowa. His poetry is in Mocambo
Nights.
William has had his poems featured in Breaking
the Surface, published by Sono Nis Press and in Mocambo
Nights, published by Ekstasis Editions. He lives in
a dilapidated Victorian house with 5 bikes and works as
a bike courier.
Jim teaches at the University of Western Washington
in Bellingham. He is a well respected American poet, who
has published widely and believes that poetry can bring
us into a magical, alchemical connection with the world.
Alisa is the editor of Monday Magazine, a poet and short story writer whose world reflects more than the weekly world she views each week as an editor.
Rhonda is the co-manager of Hawthorne Books, the publisher of the Hawthorne Series chapbooks, operates the Poppy Press and is the author of 3 books of poetry, the latest is Weather Report from Beach Holme Press.
Yvonne is a poet, cyclist, teacher and travel writer. Her writing has been published in Japan and Canada. She is putting the finishing touches on her manuscript of poems entitled, Small Japan.
Andrea is from Toronto, is one of Canada's most exciting performance poets. Sheri D. Wilson says, "Her poems carry a knock out punch." She offers her audiences an invitation to elevate the spoken word. Her latest book is Eating the Seed published by Ekstasis Editions.
Including Winona Baker, Margo Button and Mildred Tremblay bring their poetic skills down island to Victoria to launch their chapbook, Poems from the Basement .
William is a UVic writing and English student from
the Burrard Indian Reserve in North Vancouver. He draws
on his native heritage in the language of his poetry and
will be launching his chapbook at Mocambopo. He is also
the writer of spontaneous poetry in the Inner Harbour.
Chris Smart is a public health nurse on Salt Spring, a runner, a poet. Her poems have been published in anthologies, and in Mocambo Nights.
Cynthia Kerkham is taking this year off from her job as English teacher at Glenlyon-Norfolk School to write poetry, read, imagine.
Robert Gore's poems have been widely published in literary journals. He lives in Vancouver where he works as a librarian at Kwantlen University College. He is a singer, a poet.
Mark Cochrane's first book of poetry, Change Room, was promoted by reading poems in change rooms in gyms. He is currently studying law.
Miranda Pearson's first book of poetry, Prime, was published by Beach Holme. She has been widely published.
We gratefully acknowledge the League of Canadian Poets and The Canada Council of the Arts for sponsoring Mark Cochrane's reading.
Elizabeth Woods has been writing since 1968, her latest
book of poetry Family Fictions, will have its Victoria
launch at Mocambopo. Elizabeth lives in Victoria.
Kuldip Gill's latest book, Dharma Rasa, creates poems that reflect her Sikh background. She is a true lyric poet. She lives in Vancouver.
Tanis MacDonald is studying for her PHD
in English at UVic. Her first book of poetry, Holding
Ground, explores imaginary depths. Her chapbook Sass,
"gives license to the saucy tongue".
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada
Council for the Arts and The League of Canadian Poets.
The featured reader originally scheduled didn't show
up so the open mike went longer.
Russell Thornton's latest books, Tunisian Notebook
weaves emotion and imagery in glittering love poems; in
Fifth Window, the landscape of Vancouver and BC
comes alive.
Billeh Nickerson is an editor at Geist and
Prism. His first book of poetry, The Asthmatic
Glassblower is rich and comical.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Canada Council for the Arts and The League of Canadian Poets.
Joelene Heathcote has won many national prizes for her
poetry, including the Arc poem of the year. Her first
book of poetry, What's between us can't be heard,
published by Ekstasis Editions will be launched. She has
an MFA from UBC in creative writing.
This well known Ottawa poet has published many books
of poetry and is best noted for his exuberant performances.
P.K. Page, Jay Ruzesky, Rachael Wyatt, Liza Potvin, Kazz Hamilton and Mike Matthews read from Victor's Verses published by Outlaw Editions. These are transcriptions of Victor the dog's poetry by some of the island's best poets.
Carolyn Smart has published 5 books of poetry and non-fiction.
The latest is At the End of the Day, A Memoir, from
Penumbra. She is currently the director of creative writing
at Queen's University
Dave Margoshes is poet and writer of fiction who live
in Regina. His most recent books are Purity of Absence,
a collection of poetry and I'm Frankie Sterne,
a novel. He is the winner of the Stephen Leacock Prize
for poetry.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Writer's
Union of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.
This is Wendy's annual birthday reading. This includes
new poems from her latest book of poetry which will be
released in the spring, Undercover, and cake.
PETE TROWER has published 14
books of poetry and prose. He was
awarded the BC Gas Lifetime Achievement
Award this year. His latest book
of poetry, published by Ekstasis
Editions, There are many ways,
with illustrations by Jack Wise,
will be launched.
Updated November 2, 2002.