Tag Archive for: Poetry

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Paint Swatch Poetry

Find inspiration in an unexpected place in this 2-hour poetry workshop led by Hannah Bel Davis. Participants will practice poetic composition, engage in an intuitive writing exercise, and use upcycled paint swatches to compose poems inspired by colours and colour names. 

 

All levels welcome, ages 16+.

Hannah Bel Davis is a writer and illustrator living, writing, and creating on the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples, also known as New Westminster. She has an MA in Creative writing from Concordia University and a BFA in Film & English with Certificate in Creative Writing from Simon Fraser University. Her work has been published in The /t3mz/ Review, People Department Magazine, WordWorks, and Font Magazine. Her personal essay “New Knees” was shortlisted for the 2024 FBCW Contest for Creative Nonfiction. She was the 2025 Wallace Stegner House February Writer-in-Residence. You can read her newsletter at hannahbeldavis.substack.com. When she isn’t writing, you can find her taking photos, running the local trails, admiring crows, or scheming new projects.

Poetry & Art Salon: A Reflection on Remembrance, Grief & Loss

Join us for an afternoon of poetry readings exploring the human emotions of grief and loss, and how we remember those we love. In conjunction with New West Hospice’s Dialogue on Death and Dying, this event features four local authors and will also have an open mic time at the end to add your voice to the conversation.

 

ALAN HILL was born in the UK and immigrated to Canada in 2005. He is the former Poet Laureate of the City of New Westminster, BC (2017-2020), and a past president of the Royal City Literary Arts Society (RCLAS). Alan was the editor and curator of A Poetry of Place: Journeys Across New Westminster, published in partnership with New Westminster Arts Services. His writing has been published internationally and his poetry has appeared in Event, CV2, Canadian Literature, subTerrain, Poetry is Dead, among others. He works in the field of community development and immigrant settlement and lives in New Westminster, BC. His book In The Blood, was published by Caitlin Press in 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALAN GIRLING lives in Richmond, British Columbia. His writings have appeared in print, online, on the radio, and in the occasional shop window. He’s won a few prizes for poetry and fiction and has had a short play produced. 

He regularly publishes his poetry at his Substack newsletter called man of aran: https://alangirling.substack.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JANET KVAMMEN is a poet, mixed media and lens-based artist. A founding RCLAS board member in 2012, Janet is the President of Royal City Literary Arts Society. Active on both the literary and arts scene of New Westminster, Janet is a host and coordinator of local reading events and art exhibits. She is the recipient of the Bernie Legge Artist of the Year awarded by the New West Chamber at the 2023 Platinum Awards. Janet is the Poet Laureate of the City of New Westminster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JERENA TOBIASEN is a native Vancouverite and proud Canadian. Her award-winning, historical fiction novels include The Prophecy, a 3-volume saga, and The Nightingale and Sparrow Chronicles, a (soon to be) 4-volume series.

Jerena has travelled extensively throughout Great Britain, Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Russia, the Arctic and the Americas, collecting data for her stories. She embellishes her stories by drawing from her experiences, including visiting museums and libraries, conducting interviews, and travelling in the footsteps of her characters. She is determined to write with accuracy and authenticity.

Jerena is a proud member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, Royal City Literary Arts Society, Canadian Authors Association, BC Federation of Writers, Burnaby Writers Society and the Royal Canadian Legion. If she’s not home writing, she’s likely travelling!

 

 

 

 

 

This event is co-presented with the Royal City Literary Arts Society

and the Anvil Centre

This event is made possible with funding support from the Canada Council for the Arts through the Writers’ Union of Canada.

A Celebration of National Poetry Month

Together with the Royal City Literary Arts Society, we welcome you to the library to enjoy an afternoon of poetry hosted by New Westminster’s Poet Laureate, Janet Kvammen.

Featuring poetry readings by:

  • Marlo Browne: a Barbadian award-winning poet, spoken word artist, host, film-maker and author of 5 poetry books who currently lives in Langley, BC.
  • Barbara Kmiec: a graduate of The Writer’s Studio at SFU, has been mentored by a number of Canadian poets. Among other local and global concerns, her current focus is on how we care for our beautiful planet and for seniors and other loved ones in our midst.
  • and Janet Kvammen: New West’s current Poet Laureate, Janet is a multi-talented artist and poet, making creative work and opportunities for others all around town.

 

There will also be an Open Mic portion of the event hosted by Alan Hill – sign up sheet is available at the event and is first come first served.

A purple and grey logo reading Royal City Literary Arts Society RCLAS

Celebrating Poetry Month

Join us to celebrate New Westminster’s newest Poet Laureate and National Poetry Month! Janet Kvammen (new Poet Laureate), Alan Hill (former Poet Laureate) and Emily Molinari will read from their recent poetry. There will also be an open mic session at the end of the event. Registration for the 5-min open mic sessions will take place at the start of the afternoon.

 

Presented in partnership with Royal City Literary Arts Society.

art by Janet Kvammen.

Bridges Reading: Poetic Justice

Join us for a celebration of poetry! At this friendly session, former New Westminster poet laureate, Alan Hill will host and guest poets, Jónina Kirton and Jessica McMillan will read from their work and answer any audience questions. The event will end with an open mic time for others to share their work. The open mic list (5 minutes each) will be available for sign up at the beginning of the event.

The event will be live in person and also livestreamed via Zoom. All registered attendees will receive the Zoom link a few days before the event. It will not be recorded.

About the Poets

A smiling older woman with grey hair looks into the camera.Jónína Kirton, a Red River Métis and Icelandic poet received the 2016 Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts Award for an Emerging Artist in the Literary Arts category. Her second collection of poetry, An Honest Woman, was a finalist in the 2018 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. She just released her third book, Standing in a River of Time.

In a black and white photo, a woman with a thick headband and dark hair looks sideways into the camera with a slight smile.

 

Jessica Lee McMillan (she/her) is a poet and teacher with an English MA and creative writing certificate from SFU’s The Writer’s Studio. Her work has appeared in over 30 publications across Turtle Island including Crab Creek Review, The Humber Literary Review, Funicular, Pinhole Poetry, and Rose Garden Press. Jessica was a finalist for The Fiddlehead’s 2023 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest. She won the 2022 Royal City Literary Arts Society Write On! Contest for Poetry and has received poetry nominations for the Pushcart and Best of the Net. She lives on the land of the Halkomelem-speaking Peoples with her little family and large dog

In front of some trees, a smiling older man in a bright blue shirt and glasses looks into the camera.

 

Alan Hill was born in the UK and immigrated to Canada in 2005. He is the former Poet Laureate of the City of New Westminster, BC (2017-2020), former president of the Royal City Literary Arts Society (RCLAS), and was the editor and curator of A Poetry of Place: Journeys Across New Westminster, published in partnership with New Westminster Arts Services. His writing has been published internationally and his poetry has appeared in Event, CV2, Canadian Literature, The Antigonish Review, subTerrain, Poetry is Dead, among others. He works in the field of community development and immigrant settlement and lives in New Westminster, BC. His book In The Blood, was published by Caitlin Press in 2022. 

About RCLAS

A purple and grey logo reading Royal City Literary Arts Society RCLAS

The Royal City Literary Arts Society’s mission is to maintain and build a welcoming community of writers and readers, to support the goals of writers at all stages of their development, and to promote an appreciation of all forms of literary arts.  We are committed to building community capacity through the literary arts, promoting literacy, social connection and cross-cultural understanding and the central importance of the written and spoken word in community life.

Bridges: Microfiction Showcase

In this celebratory reading event, we showcase the creations from two Microfiction workshops offered in advance of the Bridges Literary Festival (April 27 and May 1). Members of the community are creating postcard-sized pieces that will be displayed in the fiction area of the library. Workshop instructor, Hannah Bel Davis will be featured and New Westminster’s Poet Laureate, Elliott Slinn will host! The event will take place in the reading lounge on the main floor of the library.

with a gold background, a smiling woman with blonde hair looks toward the left. She has gold chains around her neck and bare shoulders.

 

Hannah Bel Davis is a literary and visual artist. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Concordia University and a BFA in Film and English from Simon Fraser University. She lives with her family and animals on the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples.

 

 

 

 

A light skinned black man with very short hair and wearing a black shirt looks directly into the camera.Poet Elliott Slinn was named New Westminster’s fifth (and youngest) Poet Laureate in June 2021, actively beginning his tenure that August. Slinn was born and raised in the Queen’s Park neighbourhood of New Westminster and still resides in the Royal City today. Slinn, in addition to being a poet, is also a singer-songwriter. Slinn’s poetry and lyrics focus on the existential events of our day-to-day existence. Slinn’s work has been described as immediate and accessible, as he aims to transform his personal tale into a shared experience.