Vancouver Poetry House presents the 14th annual Verses Festival of Words from April 18 to 27, 2024 at venues across the city. The festival is Canada’s largest spoken word festival and brings together generations of poets. This years theme is “Learning and Remembering”.
Verses Festival of Words 2024 theme is Learning and Remembering. The program highlights education, lineage, and the passing of knowledge, fortifying the bonds between emerging and established poets through workshops, performances, talks, and the annual Canadian Individual Poetry Slam. The 7th poet laureate of Toronto and considered a godmother of spoken word, Lillian Allen, will provide a keynote address on the festival’s closing day. A full lineup of events is available online.
Featured Events
Hullabaloo: Spoken Word Jamboree and Alumni Showcase (Vancouver Film School) April 18 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm A chance for the teams participating in Hullabaloo to meet and greet with one another. Following a showcase from three of Hullabaloo’s outstanding alumni, ll attending teams will perform a short 1-minute piece to introduce themselves.
Hullabaloo: All Star Slam (PerformanceWorks) April 19 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm Hullabaloo: Poetry Slam Round 1 (Vancouver Film School) April 19 from 6:30pm to 10:00pm Hullabaloo: Poetry Slam Round 2 (Vancouver Film School) April 20 from 2:00pm to 5:30pm Hullabaloo: FINALS Featuring Marie Metaphor Specht (Vancouver Film School) April 20 from 8:00pm to 10:00pm
Embodying Spoken Word: Johnny Trinh Workshop (The WISE Hall) April 24 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm Poets who perform or want to perform their works will be invited to experiment with and practice various techniques in embodying their poetry in performance.
Canadian Individual Poetry Slam PRELIMS Bout 1 (The WISE Hall) April 24 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm Poets will be paired up via random draw and compete head-to-head. The first round of poems are 3 minutes long. This will be a double knockout competition. Meaning 24 poets will compete with each other in 12 groups of 2. Bout two will be held on Thursday and Finals on Friday.
Canadian Individual Poetry Slam PRELIMS Bout 2 (The WISE Hall) April 25 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm The poets competing will be the 12 poets who lost in the First Preliminary Night. The top 6 poets who survive the first round, will compete against the 6 poets who were knocked out in the final round of the First Preliminary Night. This will determine the top 6 poets. Both rounds will be 3 minutes long.
Canadian Individual Poetry Slam FINALS (The WISE Hall) April 26 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm Featuring Lillian Allen and followed by a performance by Kimmortal. The top 6 poets from Preliminary Round 1, and the top 6 poets from Second Chance Night will go head to head. The knockout format is as follows: 6 groups of 2, 2 groups of 3 and the final faceoff between two poets and then the last poet standing will be crowned the CIPS winner.
Public Keynote: Lillian Allen (The Nest) April 27 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm Dub Poet, educator, changemaker, Lillian Allen will be offering a talk on spoken word, the movement ahead, and what is needed to continue the evolution of spoken word poets.
Following Verses Festival on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date.
YWCA Metro Vancouver has announced the 106 nominees for the 41st Women of Distinction Awards, presented by Scotiabank. Tickets for the awards gala May 13th are now on sale.
41st Annual Awards Evening
Date: Monday, May 13, 2024
Time: 5:00pm to 9:30pm
Venue: The Westin Bayshore (1601 Bayshore Dr, Vancouver)
Tickets:Available now. Early-bird rates, available until Sunday, March 31st: $295 per person; $2,950 for a table of 10. Starting April 1st, ticket prices will increase to $325 per person and $3,250 for a table of 10.
Get your tickets today and celebrate these women who have had a positive impact in our community.
Vote – Connecting the Community
In addition to the award category in which they are nominated, all individual nominees are eligible to win the Connecting the Community Award – the only award category where the recipient is selected by public vote. Each nominee has chosen a YWCA area that is important to her for a chance to donate $10,000, courtesy of Scotiabank, to the YWCA program of her choice.
Follow the YWCA of Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
YWCA Metro Vancouver is dedicated to achieving women’s equality. Their mission is to touch lives and build better futures for women and their families through advocacy and integrated services that foster economic independence, wellness and equal opportunities.
Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards, since 2010.
We have curated a list of our current and upcoming culinary favourites and notable limited edition menus, into one convenient spot for the Vancouver Foodie Friday March feature. Here are our updates for all foodies alike as we welcome spring:
Vancouver Foodie Friday – Annual Curry Cup, New Dinner Series and More
Around the World: Exclusive Dinner with Chef David Hawksworth
When: Thursday March 14, 2024 at 5:30pm – 10:00pm
Where: Terminal City Club, 837 West Hastings St., Vancouver
Details: Enjoy an indulgent evening for a great cause, featuring a four-course meal of global flavours curated by guest Chef David Hawksworth with wine pairings, canapés, a sparkling wine reception, an opportunity to purchase a fine bottle from the wine wall and a chance to win a luxury travel prize from Seabourn Cruises and Air Canada. Learn more.
Western Canada’s most sustainable meal kit delivery service, Fresh Prep, has just launched a collab with world-renowned Vij’s, one of the most well-known and recognized restaurants not just in Vancouver but across the country. You can enter to win the chance to try this tasty pairing for yourself!
Fresh Prep x Vij’s Collaboration
Fresh Prep was the first Canadian meal kit delivery service to deliver recipes in reusable Zero Waste Kits, which significantly reduces the need for single use plastic. They offer 14 delicious recipes each week, including vegetarian and vegan options, plus a variety of ready-to-eat meals, sides, salads, desserts and more. All ingredients arrive packed in reusable, insulated cooler bags with reusable ice packs.
Fresh Prep has been collaborating with some of the city’s top chefs and restaurants, so customers can bring world-class culinary experiences to their own kitchens. Previous collabs include Café Medina, Nuba, and Anh & Chi among others.
Vij’s has been recognized by the New York Times as “easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world.”
The Vij’s collaboration features two recipes: One “meaty” dish, and one vegan dish: Vij’s Chickpeas, Potato & Coconut Curry with Spiced Peas, and Vij’s Masala Chicken Curry with Spiced Cauliflower.
“I wanted one “meaty” dish and one vegan dish to start,” says Meeru Dhalwala, the culinary force behind Vij’s Restaurant in Vancouver. “While I do have a beef curry on my menu, I treat beef like a special occasion meat we don’t need to eat much. Its carbon footprint is too huge and it’s not good for our arteries. In my home, we eat meat once a week. When I was growing up, mom mostly made chicken (or goat) curry on Saturdays and we couldn’t wait. But we don’t eat just meat curry—it’s always accompanied by vegetables. Fun fact, goat is leaner and healthier than chicken. But goat also takes hours to cook. I’m not sure why goat hasn’t taken off in North America as a healthy meat option, but it’s a big seller on my Vij’s menu.”
“Another beauty of Indian cuisine is that we don’t eat as per diets. We eat because it tastes satisfying and delicious. Indian cuisine is vegan friendly but it isn’t vegan on purpose. We are vegan/vegetarian at home except for our once a week meat. Indian cuisine has such a perfect balance of taste, health/nutrition, ingredients, if done right. So my chickpea and coconut curry is my ode to the rich beauty of vegan curries, even for those who aren’t vegan.” (Read the full blog with Dhalwala here).
The hope is that with these meal kits, home cooks who maybe aren’t as familiar with Indian Cooking will be introduced to delicious Indian curries that are simple to prepare, with absolutely no food waste. Recreate these recipes at home without the hassle of sourcing exotic spices or spending hours in the kitchen. Each 2-serving meal kit is $31.90, available to order until the end of March.
Enter to Win
You can enter to win one of these meal kits! Here’s how:
Head to the Fresh Prep menu to order Vij’s exclusive recipes. These meal kits are only available to Fresh Prep customers. If you haven’t signed up yet, try now to enjoy these limited-time Vij’s collaboration meal kits, plus weekly recipes, salads and more.
This weekend in Vancouver enjoy a variety of events, from Women’s Day celebrations and pop-up markets, to Oscars viewing parties, rollerskating, tours, and festivals.
