Saturday Night Special - VERSeFest 2021

VERSeFest returns November 13-21, 2021! Join us online and in person for a week of the most exceptional poetry around. Visit Versefest.ca for the entire festival lineup.

Join us online for featuring readings from:

ANDREA THOMPSON

Andrea Thompson has been publishing and performing her work for over twenty-five years. In 2005 her spoken word album, One, was nominated for a Canadian Urban Music Award, in 2009 she was the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word’s Poet of Honour, and in 2019 her poetry album, Soulorations earned her the League of Canadian Poets’ Golden Beret Award. Thompson is co-author of, Other Tongues: Mixed-Race Women Speak Out, and author of the novel, Over Our Heads. Thompson teaches through CAMH and University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. She is an editor at Brick Books and Artistic Director of Brick's online spoken word showcase, Brickyard. Thompson’s work was featured in the anthology, Best Canadian Poetry: 2020, and she is the recipient of the 2021 Pavlick Poetry Prize. For more info: www.andreathompson.ca

KUF KNOTZ AND ELISE

MC/ Poet/ Songwriter Kuf Knotz and classically trained Harpist  / Vocalist Christine Elise have combined forces to create a new album. The unlikely pair connected and built the project with a similar vision, wanting to create positive, forward thinking music driven by a strong message. Kəˈmyo͞onədē [Community] is a genre blending offering, featuring a talented community of producers and musicians, focused on delivering a soulful record with themes centered on love, growth & unity.  Recorded at Morningstar Studio, by 2x Grammy Award winner, Glenn Barret, this album is an abstract collection of thoughts, words and sounds that leave the listener feeling connected, invigorated and revitalized. 

Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise founded Higher Grounds Music which is a community-centered organization that uses motivational, classical hip hop to foster community growth. Working in a strength based model, projects, programs and services are offered in various settings, which include schools, after-school programs, community centers, creative spaces, treatment programs and wellness centers. Each experience is designed to create a supportive environment to promote self expression, nurture group cohesion and enrich social emotional growth. They are motivated to make music accessible to all and focus on community outreach in areas in which the arts are limited. 

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This is a free online event. Register at VERSeFest.ca: https://verseottawa.ca/en/event/saturdaynight2021