VerseFest 2013

Ottawa’s collective celebration of the written and spoken word is in full swing.

VerseFest runs until Sunday, March 17 and features performances from local poets and artists, including a collaboration between queer performers Luna Allison and Glenn Nuotio.

Nuotio and Allison, who is an Xtra contributor, take to the stage tonight at 7pm. Allison says she is also excited to perform alongside hip-hop artist Lady Katalyst.

“VerseFest is always a blast,” Allison says. “I’m doing a couple of comedic poems and some more serious stuff, including a number of jazz and blues-infused pieces to go with the theme for tonight: music in-fusion.”

First staged in 2011, VerseFest is an initiative of Verse Ottawa. The organization is made up of various poetry organizations, and the membership changes each year. The 2013 festival includes the Dusty Owl Reading Series and AB Series.

Allison at VerseFest 2011

VerseFest

Runs until Sunday, March 17

Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St

Tickets range from $10 for a single event to $50 for a festival pass

For more information and the complete lineup, visit VerseFest’s official site.

Algonquin College journalism grad. Podcaster @qqcpod.

Keep Reading

Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Perez in Emilia Perez. Gascón wears black with colourful embroidery, has long hair, and a brown purse and delicate chain.

Trans cartel musical ‘Emilia Pérez’ takes maximalist aesthetic to the extreme

REVIEW: The film’s existence raises intriguing questions about appropriate subjects for the playful machinations of French auteurs
Dorothy Allison sits behind a microphone. She has long, light-coloured hair and wears glasses and a patterned button-up shirt.

5 things to know about Dorothy Allison

The lesbian feminist writer passed on Nov. 6

‘Solemates’ is a barefoot stroll through the history of our fetish for feet

Queer historian Adam Zmith’s newest book allows us to dip our toes into the past of a common, yet stigmatized, kink

‘Masquerade’ offers a queer take on indulgence and ennui 

Mike Fu’s novel is a coming of age mystery set between New York and Shanghai