Influency 4: A Toronto Poetry Salon

Margaret Christakos has invited me to participate in her much-praised evening course, Influency 4: A Toronto Poetry Salon. Registration for the ten-week course course ends soon. Details below.

Join other poetry aficionados for this flow-chart series of prepared talks by Toronto poets becoming fluent in the work of some of our contemporaries, combined with dynamic poetry readings and discussion. Eight accomplished Toronto-based poets working in distinctive contemporary styles will appear both as guest critics and featured poets in this unique learning experience. By including poets from many of the micro-communities in the city's literary scene, we create the opportunity for social and critical interaction among them, and build our own informed enjoyment of contemporary poetry in general. Over the ten-week course, registrants will accumulate a more nuanced and engaged critical vocabulary for discussing and writing responsively about many styles of contemporary poetry.

Schedule:

April 2 Introduction by Margaret Christakos, and books distributed.
April 9 Rachel Zolf on Rachel Vigier
Book: The Book of Skeletons
April 16 Rachel Vigier on Kevin Connolly
Book: drift
April 23 Karen Connelly on Allan Briesmaster
Book: Interstellar
April 30 Kevin Connolly on Dennis Lee
Book: yesno
May 7 Gary Barwin on Rachel Zolf
Book: Human Resources
May 14 Dennis Lee on a.rawlings
Book: Wide Slumber for Lepidopterists
May 21 a.rawlings on Karen Connelly
Book: This Border Surrounds Us
May 28 Allan Briesmaster on Gary Barwin
Book: Raising Eyebrows
June 4 Registrants' Intertexts and closing party

Why: To celebrate and explore Toronto’s diverse poetry scene. To build appreciation and understanding for contemporary poetry.

How Much: $199 plus $100 course materials (8 books of poetry) for 10-week course.

Register online for course number SCS 1777 by going to http://learn.utoronto.ca.