Atwater Poetry Project

The Atwater Poetry Project (APP) aims to link poets from across Canadian with Montreal-area poets and present their work to the public. We have APP readings with discussion almost every month, mostly online since the start of the pandemic with plans for both online and in person (hybrid) in the future.

Faith Paré is the dynamic APP Curator and Coordinator. Click here for a July 2022 CBC Radio Montreal interview in which she talks about the APP and advantages of online poetry readings.

Poet Oana Avasilichioaei founded the APP in September 2014.  Since then, we have hosted over 300 poetry readings by established and emerging Canadian poets. Go here for the 15th anniversary slideshow with poets’ photos and names.

The Canada Council for the Arts has provided modest funding for the APP for most of its life, and the Atwater Library gives in-kind support.

Visit the APP on Facebook.

Please send inquiries to APP Curator Faith Paré: poetry@atwaterlibrary.ca.

Upcoming 2022-2023 Atwater Poetry Project Events

Monday, February 20, 2023 – 7:00 to 8:00 pm
In Person ONLY at the Atwater Library’s Adair Auditorium
Performing the APP Archive, in partnership with SpokenWeb
Featuring the work of former APP curator Katia Grubisic and past presenters Tawhida Tanya Evanson, Gerry Shikatani, and others. Followed by a discussion with APP curator Faith Paré.

Monday, February 25, 2023 – 2:00 to 4:00 pm
In Person ONLY at Artexte Information Centre, 2 Ste-Catherine E., Suite #301, Montréal
Desire Lines Poetry Reading with Liz Howard, in partnership with Artexte
Griffin Poetry Prize winner Liz Howard debuts a written work on the legacy of the watershed Native Women issue of Fireweed: A Feminist Quarterly. Presented as part of the exhibition Desire Lines: Displaced Narratives of Place, curated by Felicity Tayler. Followed by a discussion with APP curator Faith Paré.

Atwater Poetry Project Coordinators and Curators

Oana Avasilichioaei – 2004 – 2009

Katia Grubisic – 2009 – 2013

Darren Bifford – 2013 – 2014

Symon Jory Stevens-Guille and Charlotte Harrison – 2014 – 2015

Deanna Radford – 2015 – 2019

Rachel McCrum – 2019 – 2021

Faith Paré – November 2021 and ongoing

Archives

Note: Audio recordings of poet readings can be found at the bottom of each poet’s biography page. 

Thank-Yous

We thank our community of poets, audiences, funders, publishers, CEGEPs, co-presenters and other collaborators for their support over the years.

In addition to the coordinators and curators listed above, this list includes: the Atwater Library and Computer Centre, the Canada Council for the Arts, the League of Canadian Poets, The Writers’ Union of Canada, University of New Brunswick’s Poetry Weekend, the Quebec Writers’ Federation and its Writers Out Loud series, Vallum Magazine, Lectures Logos Readings, the Gail Scott Reading Series, Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie, the Suoni Per Il Popolo festival, iPLAI McGill, Morris House Reading Series, Writers Read, CKUT 90.3 FM, VERSEfest, Librairie L’Eugélionne, and Eric Lewis.