A shared desire for a sense of poetic community in Guelph has spawn one of Canada’s leading spoken word poetry scenes.
Guelph Spoken Word, which wins national slam poetry competitions, hosts local spoken word events, and fosters new spoken word talent, is in its eighth year. It has a celebratory slam coming up later this month.
“What we’re really trying to focus on as we develop spoken word artists in Guelph is to push people to find their own voice,” said spoken word artist Beth Anne Ellipsis, founder of Guelph Spoken Word
“Often when you start doing something, you look to people you admire and mimic their style, their topics, their cadence,” she continued. “We’re really trying to push artists to find their voice and talk about subjects that are important to them in their lives, and approach those topics in a sincere way.”
Members of the Guelph Slam Poetry team recently returned from the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, held this year in Winnipeg in late October. The team placed first overall in the event.
“One thing that has always stood out about Guelph in the national competitions is that we create pieces that are genuine and intriguing,” Ellipsis said, adding that the work is not written to score well at competitions, as some is, but rather is focused on artistic quality and honesty.
Ellipsis started Guelph Spoken Word and organized its first poetry slam eight years ago. She was a recent university graduate at the time. It was a time when she and other writers were hungry for a community of spoken word lovers.
“I had just graduated from university, and I had just discovered this really cool art form that I had only experienced in a slam competition,” she said. “I was really blown away by it, and I didn’t want to have to drive to Toronto every time I wanted to see it. So, I just started the first slam and 30 people showed up.”
She said spoken word in general, and slam poetry in particular, is a very accessible form of poetry. And there was definitely an appetite for the art form in Guelph.
“That is one of the gifts that it has,” she said. “Anyone that can speak and express themselves can try it and do it. It was something we really needed in our community. It’s a platform for people to come together and talk. It provides a feedback loop, whether through audience response or conversations around the tables.”
Guelph Poetry Slam events are a regular occurrence in the city. The next one is on Nov. 19, which will serve as an anniversary event. As well. Guelph Spoken Word hosts the writer’s open mic event Off the Page, the next one on Nov. 15 at the Red Brick Café.
“As an arts organization, our main purpose is not to run events but to create a writing and a spoken word community,” she said. “People were telling us, we are coming to your shows hoping to find friends, to find community.”
The Nov. 19 event is free, and anyone who ever wrote a word of poetry, or loved a poem, or attended a spoken word or slam poetry event, or loves and supports the arts, is invited to come out. It happens at the eBar on Quebec Street from 7-10 p.m. There’ll be an open mic, and a slam competition with a $100 prize.
Spoken word artist, and arts activist Jillian Christmas will be the special guest. Born in Ontario, she lives in Vancouver where she serves as artistic director of the Verses Festival of Words.
Slam is a high-impact poetry performance where there are no props, costumes, or musical accompaniment - original material only, and a three-minute maximum performance time. Collaboration is encouraged.
“It’s very interesting to create art together, and that’s one of the very unique and fun things about being on a slam team,” Ellipsis said.
