While not a review, exactly, there are some notes on the first Cascadia Poetry Festival in Cumberland, BC, September 8-10, 2017, here:
Cascadia in Cumberland
One hat was a big hit with the attendees:
Shanye Grec
And Kevin Paul’s humble presence and powerful testimony from Saanish nation was one of the highlights of the whole affair.
Kevin Paul
Once organizers recover, there are plans to do this fest every other year with, perhaps, a smaller event that same weekend in September, featuring more of a communal gathering. If you want to to help organize, or simply attend, contact us.
Related
About Paul Nelson
Poet/interviewer Paul Nelson founded SPLAB & the Cascadia Poetry Festival, published: American Prophets (Interviews 1994-2012), American Sentences (Apprentice House 2015); A Time Before Slaughter (Apprentice House, shortlisted for a 2010 Genius Award by The Stranger) and Organic in Cascadia: A Sequence of Energies (essay, Lumme Editions, Brazil, 2013).
He’s interviewed Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Sam Hamill, José Kozer, Robin Blaser, Nate Mackey, Joanne Kyger, George Bowering, Brenda Hillman and Daphne Marlatt, presented poetry/poetics in London, Brussels, Qinghai & Beijing, China, and published work in Golden Handcuffs Review, Zen Monster and Hambone. Awarded The Capilano Review’s 2014 Robin Blaser Award, he writes an American Sentence every day.
Hello Paul Nelson,
Thanks for coordinating the Cumberland B.C. Poetry Festival and sending feedback. It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot. I will always remember Kevin Paul and his stories when we brought him to the festival.
It seemed that the festival organizers wanted a communal event all along, and less of a public one. That will be good for the established poets, but less so for newbies like me.
I look forward to seeing how the event shapes itself in two years. Reading poems in a big circle was a great honor for me, so I hope that Cumberland continues to offer some welcoming venues in its new form.
Thanks
Mary “failed girl scout” Magnuson
Mary, thanks for attending and for your warm participation. Sept 2018 promises an EVEN MORE intimate event and Sept 2019 might have a huge surprise. Stay tuned and thanks for being a part of this work.