Amplify is our new program run in partnership with Vancouver Poetry House. This intensive will bring a cohort of poets together to be mentored by a world class faculty over 4 days in developing work and deepening their practice in Spoken Word. 

The four days will culminate in a shared presentation at a closing house concert, directed by CR Avery. The faculty will include: Sheri-D Wilson, Brandon Wint, and CR Avery. Along with offering direct mentorship, the faculty along with some special guests will be offering workshops open to the community. 

Limited spaces are available for the inaugural cohort. For more information on how to be a part the cohort contact: executivedirector@kogawahouse.com

To sign up for the workshops open to the community, please click below. All workshops are $15. Accommodations are available and we don't want to turn anyone away due to financial barriers. If these exist for you, please contact: info@kogawahouse.com

Individual Workshop Info: 

1. Workshop: Imagery Meets Constraint with Brandon Wint (Hybrid)

Date: March 19 

Time: 6-8 pm

Description: A writing workshop about form, image/metaphor and how they evolve to fit within a specific poetic constraint (literary form, device, rhythm, metre, etc.) There will be space for each student to share their work and have it discussed with feedback from Brandon. This event is hybrid, guests can participate in-person and online

2. Artist Talk: Brandon Wint on Curation of a Set (Hybrid)

Date: March 20

Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Description: This is a talk that offers emerging and mid-career poets insights on how to curate a set for a reading. This event is hybrid, guests can participate in-person and online

3: Workshop: Genre Bending & Community Building | Spoken Word & Speculative Poetry with Sheri-D Wilson (In-Person only)

Date: March 20

Time: 6-8 pm

Description: An open to the public drop-in workshop led by Sheri-D Wilson regarding genre mixing and community. 

4. Artist Talk: Johnny D Trinh on Community-Engaged Art (Hybrid)

Date: March 21

Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Description: This talk is for artists of any discipline, interested in community-engaged art, bringing their practices into community spaces, or are new to designing/facilitating workshops. Johnny will share examples of community-engaged art from individual artists, to organizations. Trinh will highlight introductory concepts and considerations with engaging in community focusing on concepts of ethics, accountability, and consent. This event is hybrid, guests can participate in-person and online. 

5. Workshop: Johnny D Trinh Performance and Voice Workshop (In-Person Only)

Date: March 22

Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Description: Johnny Trinh will be offering a tutorial on performance, with an interactive workshop portion.

6. Panel on Epic Poetry: Sheri-D Wilson & Renée Sarojini Saklikar moderated by Johnny Trinh (In-Person Only)

Date: March 22

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Description: A must-see panel where Sheri-D Wilson with special guest, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, discuss the evolution of poetry, and the craft of creating epic poems. This panel will offer a Question and Answer talk back, along with reading excerpts, moderated by Johnny Trinh

7. House Concert featuring CR Avery & the Amplify Cohort (In-Person)

Date: March 22

Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Description: Come celebrate the finale of the intensive at an intimate house concert featuring beloved Vancouver musicians, artists, conducted by CR Avery and featuring collaborations and presentations from the Amplify Cohort.

8. Wordplay Youth Workshop (In-Person Only)

Date: March 23

Time: 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Description: Open to all youths ages 14-22, this is a spoken word workshop led by Vancouver Poetry House Wordplay Poets who specialize in offering writing workshops to youth. Come and experiment with new ways to write, play, perform, and collaborate on writing poetry together.