April was National Poetry Month in Canada – the right time of the year to put more poetry out in the world.
So, Planet Earth Poetry decided to purchase volumes of poetry from small local presses and deliver them to little free libraries around Victoria. In total, 39 books were delivered by Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff on his cycling trips to replenish and restock little free libraries.
Planet Earth Poetry hosts the longest running reading series in Canada. In 2020, we celebrated our twenty-fifth anniversary. Like many other arts groups, the pandemic hit hard last spring, and our beloved weekly public readings came to an abrupt halt. However, within a month or so we pivoted (perhaps an overused term these days) or pirouetted or pounced onto the Zoom scene and have never looked back.
Between thirty to fifty attendees each week enjoy the open mic and featured readers from across Canada. Several of the featured poets this year are now nominated for national literary awards. We are a community of language lovers, and we keep expanding and growing in interesting ways.
So, if it’s been a while since you read a poem, and you might be up for discovering the vast range of ways that poetry reflects and expands our universe, then you might come across a lovely book of poems right in your own neighbourhood. And if you enjoy dipping into verse, then consider joining us on Friday night. All the information about our present season can be found on our site.
Leanne Boschman, Planet Earth Poetry
