Voices came alive at Jeanne Mance Park on Sept. 30 with Mcsway Poetry Collective’s first open-mic night of the semester, “Poetry in the Park.” Gathered around a tree strung with lights that acted as a stage, the audience sat on blankets, listening to poets valiantly share their words and their[Read More…]
Tag: poetry
Kasia Van Schaik’s literary talents bridge separate spheres
Kasia Van Schaik, also known by her pen name Kasia Juno, is a McGill doctoral candidate whose work focusses on environmentalism, feminism, and physical spaces. Her writing has been featured in popular journals, including The Los Angeles Review of Books and The Best Canadian Poetry Anthology. Currently, Van Schaik straddles the[Read More…]
Avleen Kaur Mokha’s “DREAM FRAGMENTS” impresses with emotional depth
On Oct. 1, McGill alumna Avleen Kaur Mokha, also known as Mirabel, released the 40-page poetry chapbook DREAM FRAGMENTS through Cactus Press. A collection of personal poetry and confessional writing, Mokha’s chapbook highlights her journey growing up neurodivergent, processing trauma, and learning to find beauty in her dreams and darkest moments.[Read More…]
McGill hosts Montreal International Poetry Prize
The biennial Montreal International Poetry Prize is happening now, with submissions open until June 10, and this year, McGill’s Department of English is hosting. Known colloquially as the “Prize,” this competition was founded in 2010 as an initiative by Montreal poet and literary critic Asa Boxer. The Prize awards $20,000[Read More…]
Heartbreak Museum brings some warmth on a cold Valentine’s Day
As the sun set on a cold February evening, a dim glow warmed the room in Building 21 where McSWAY Poetry Collective hosted their second annual “Heartbreak Museum.” The exhibit featured poems and artifacts from past relationships, revealing a challenging portrait of heartbreak and young love, and explored both the[Read More…]
McSWAY presents their first poetry slam ‘Say It Because You Mean It’
Hidden away behind a yellow door, deep in a basement of brick and mortar, McGill held its first poetry slam of the semester. Hosted at The Yellow Door, McSway Poetry Collective, is a student-run group that regularly organizes open mics and writers’ workshops as a means to encourage artistic expression at[Read More…]
A bus ride worth a thousand words
McGill shuttle bus driver moonlights as an author and poet.
Community and remembrance at the ‘Atwater Poetry Project’
Since 2004, the Atwater Poetry Project has brought a poetry to the Atwater Library on a monthly basis. On Sept. 20, the library hosted three women writing about indigenous life in Canada, coinciding with indigenous Awareness Weeks. Each poet brought to light the persistent force and beauty of the indigenous identity.
Chad Norman’s life of poetry
When Nova Scotian poet Chad Norman (Masstown, Learning to Settle Down) was a teenager, he and all his friends wanted to be rock stars. "I bought a Fender bass, and a MusicMaster, a beginning Fender, and a small little amp, and wanted to be a bassist,” Norman said. But the band[Read More…]
The Atwater Poetry Project ‘tells the truth’ through poetry
Most people rarely experience poetry outside of educational contexts—an AP Literature course in high school or a mandatory poetics course taken to fulfill requirements at university. The Atwater Poetry Project is changing that, just three metro stops from campus. Founded 14 years ago by poet and translator Oana Avasilichioaei, the[Read More…]
