“Wild Woman”, wild life and wild artists at the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival

Calgary was a blast! Regrouping, recuperating—flu relapse so this will be brief—but I’m back on the home front having returned from a whirlwind Calgary International Spoken Word Festival. The poster depicting a flying fish is not merely fanciful but apropos. Ah, to swim and fly, to sing and versify. . .

I was happy for an exit row seat though it was a bumpy flight there, kept thinking, I can’t die in a crash after reassuring my son flying is safer than driving, reminding him that we get in our cars with no qualms. High winds over the Rockies according to the pilot. Spring-like the day I landed, sweating in my hooded, heavy sheepskin coat but grateful for it two days later when a snowstorm hit the city. 100 accidents that day, curbside banks of snow and vast puddles of slush nearly impossible to navigate, the weather indoors so much more inviting. Festival venue the Auburn Saloon is a welcoming space, with a warm ambiance and nothing keeps Calgary’s festival fans away, the place packed for each event, testament as well to the hard work of Sheri-D and her staff Jess Hagel, Taryn Craig, Rod Coates and Mike Roberts.

The Spoken Word Workbook edited by Sheri-D Wilson, with essays by bill bissett, Hilary Peach, Ian Ferrier, Paul Dutton, John Giorno, Anne Waldman, Robert Priest and little old me is stunning. The designer, Peter Moller, had us sign it for him. The best part of a festival is always the people naturally, reconnecting with old friends and associates and making new friends. I met John Giorno, Brian Brett, Elyse Maltin, Jen Kunlire, Kai Kellough, Mary Pinkoski, Quincy Troupe, Deanna Smith, Monica Caldeiro, Eliz Robert, Eugene Stickland and caught up with pals Fred Holliss, Tanya Evanson, Ian Ferrier, bill bissett, Billeh Nickerson and the inimitable, the fabulous Sheri-D Wilson of course. We go way back, 16 years, in fact. I first met Sheri-D in 1994 when I was 8 months pregnant and facilitating our inaugural Telepoetics linkup at the Western Front.

Not feeling 100% post persistent flu, I couldn’t get too wild, had to pace myself in preparation for performing, but there was a palpable feeling of camaraderie throughout and I had a lovely time. Sheri-D and company made it a most momentous occasion and a fantastic festival. Here’s a Calgary Herald article, Shifting the definition of spoken word by Stephen Hunt and my performance at Wild Women on Sunday morning! “Now this is my church,” I announced.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *