That's a Wrap!
The 2011 Words Aloud Spoken Word and Storytelling Festival is over for this year, but its energy and impact linger on. Words Aloud 8 was a captivating mix of the familiar and the fresh, on both the performance and technical fronts.
BAM! The Toronto Youth Slam Team returned to wow audiences at Grey Highlands Secondary School and Great Books and Café in Williamsford, and an octet of diverse poetic talent visited for the first time: Steven Heighton, Lillian Allen, John Giorno, Ariel Gordon, Anne Simpson, Ayub Nuri, Marilyn Dumont, and James Gordon. Ronna Bloom, a favorite of last year’s festival, came back to assist us with a Words Aloud first – an onstage interview with spoken word legend John Giorno, who charmed everyone with his high-energy performance, his wonderful stories, and his joie de vivre. (You can catch the interview on http://www.youtube.com/user/WordsAloud2)
In addition to our regular performances, Marilyn Dumont and John Giorno also delighted audiences in other communities: Marilyn in Toronto and Waterloo, and John in Toronto. And while the Durham Art Gallery continued to serve as our fine festival venue, a new sound system contributed to an even better audience experience. Add to all that our personable and informative MCs (David Sugarman, Linette Keating-Jones, Hazel Lyder and Steve Morel), our entertaining festival opener Mayor Kevin Eccles, a quartet of fabulous workshops given by Steven Heighton, Marilyn Dumont, James Gordon and Anne Simpson,and delicious snacks and nibblies, and you have what amounted to a truly crowd-pleasing weekend.
Oh, yes, and there was cake! This was in honour of John Giorno’s 75th Birthday Tour – James Gordon led the singing, everyone in the house got to have a piece of the lovely gateau, and John was very touched and pleased by the gesture.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
We’re happy to report that the festival wasn’t only pleasing to our audiences. Here’s what some of our performers had to say about their experience:
“What I loved best is the community, and what a mayor you have. Can we borrow him for Toronto(?)” Lillian Allen, dub poet
“. . .this (event) I liked for its diversity of poets and writers who had been invited to speak and read.” Ayub Nuri, journalist
“Words Aloud is the festival to which I will compare all other festivals. . .it was the most fun I’ve ever had on stage.” Ariel Gordon, poet
“It is a gift to me as a writer to be treated so royally. Food, rest, amazing company. And as always an audience that WANTS us.” Ronna Bloom, poet, interviewer
“I loved the SCALE of it. . .intimate and welcoming, and I loved the community aspect of it. . .the fest seemed to grow out of those rocks and that river. . .very well organized. . .we were all certainly looked after very well. . .” James Gordon, singer-songwriter
“Wonderful Festival. I can tell you sincerely that that was one of the best audiences I’ve ever read to. . .the sound system was superb, the volunteers were delightful, Alison did a great job selling our books. . .the art gallery was a perfect space.” Steven Heighton, poet, novelist
So to all those who contributed to making the festival such a success, and to one of the best literary festival audiences around, a big THANK YOU. Thanks also to all those who voted in our West Grey Library poll: based on your responses, the library has added five books to their collection. They are Steven Heighton's Patient Frame and Shadow Boxer, Marilyn Dumont's A Really Good Brown Girl, Anne Simpson's Falling, and, in a nod to a previous visitor to Words Aloud, Don McKay's Vis a Vis. We’ll keep you posted on other spoken word news (like the airdate of John Giorno’s taped interview with George Stroumboloupoulos and our YouTube archive of this year’s performances, now being edited), and if you have any comments or suggestions for us, just send us a note through the Words Aloud website contact page: http://www.wordsaloud.ca/contact.
