Hey, everybody! Join us for Word Up’s next event @ Unity Market Cafe & Studios. We’ll start at the usual 7 pm and feature one or two guest authors, followed by the ever-popular and always inspiring open mic.

No event in August

September 12, 2019

Luciano Iacobelli is a Toronto born poet, playwright and visual artist. He is the author of several full length books of poetry including: The Angel Notebook (2007), Book of Disorders (2011), Painting Circles (2011) The Emu Dialogues, with Jens Kohler and Robert Marra (2015), and The Examined Life (2016), as well as artists’ chapbook Noctograms (2018). He has been active in the literary community as a creative writing instructor, event organizer, publisher and editor. Dolor Midnight is his sixth book.

LAURIE KRUK teaches at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, where she is Full Professor in English Studies. She specializes in Canadian Literature, Native Literature, Women’s writing and the Canadian short story. As a scholar, Kruk has published The Voice is the Story: Conversations with Canadian Writers of Short Fiction (Mosaic, 2003) and Double-Voicing the Canadian Short Story (Ottawa UP, 2016). She is also the author of three books of poetry: Theories of the World (Netherlandic, 1992), Loving the Alien (YSP, 2006) and My Mother Did Not Tell Stories (Demeter, 2012). This latest book is described as weaving “tales that powerfully uncover the necessity of vocalizing that which is learned, experienced, and traditionally unshared” (ARC Poetry Magazine).

Oct 10, 2019

Brandon Pitts – Rising out of the raucous after hours salons of the Toronto underground poetry scene, Canadian American writer Brandon Pitts has wowed capacity crowds in four countries and multiple cities with his visceral dynamic poetry recitals. After being inducted into the Diaspora Dialogues as an “Emerging Voice” in 2011, he released a novel and produced three plays. He followed this with a series of well received poetry collections showcasing a disciplined artistic process with multi-layered socio-political commentary, culminating in what Jim Cristy calls the “rarest of things in poetry these days: a unique voice.” His second poetry collection for Mosaic Press, “Tender in the Age of Fury” is in its 3rd pressing.

Brandon currently lives in Montreal’s le Plateau with his wife and two cats.

Rayanne Haines – She is a community builder and an award-winning fiction author and poet. Her work has been published in Canada, the USA, and the UK. Publications include Stained with the Colours of Sunday Morning, and the urban fantasy series The Guardian: Fire Born, Magic Born, and Air Born. She is the Executive Director of the Edmonton Poetry Festival, western Canada’s most diverse poetry festival.