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The Art Bar Poetry Series is recognized as the longest running
poetry-only reading series in Canada.



TUESDAY JANUARY 31

Allan Briesmaster
Allan Briesmaster is a freelance editor, micro publisher, and one of the four partners in Quattro Books. His most recent full-length poetry collection is Confluences (Seraphim Editions, 2009), and his newest chapbook is After Evening Wine (Alfred Gustav series, 2011). His poetry has also appeared in many journals and anthologies. He was one of the organizers of the Art Bar Poetry Reading Series from 1991 until 2002. He lives in Thornhill, Ontario, with his wife Holly, a visual artist with whom he has collaborated several times.

John Nyman
John Nyman's poetry and short fiction has appeared in Misunderstandings Magazine, Steel Bananas, The Antigonish ReviewÕs online Poet Grow Op, Clark-Nova BooksÕ anthology Writing Without Direction and Tightrope Books' GULCH: An Assemblage of Poetry and Prose. He currently studies creative writing and English at York University, where he has served as Senior Fiction Editor of Existere, York's journal of literature and art, and as Arts Editor of York's student newspaper, Excalibur. John has also attended Nashville's Vanderbilt University as a Fulbright Canada Killam fellow during fall 2011.

Souvankham Thammavongsa
Souvankham Thammavongsa is the author of two poetry books from Pedlar Press. Her most recent of which, Found, was made into a short film by Paramita Nath and screened at film festivals worldwide. In 2004, Small Arguments won the ReLit prize for poetry and the Canadian Authors' Association/Book Television award for a writer under 30. In 2001, she won the Art Bar's Discovery Night prize.


TUESDAY FEBRUARY 7

Meira Cook
A Walker in the City is Meira Cook's third book of poetry with Brick Books. The opening poem of this collection won first place in the 2006 CBC Literary Awards, and poems in this series were selected as part of the Poetry in Motion initiative. She lives, writes, and walks in Winnipeg.

Honey Novick
Honey Novick is a singer/songwriter/voice teacher/full member of the League of Canadian Poets. She is the director of the Creative Vocalization Studio, song facilitator for Sheena's Place (a support place for people with eating disorders), music consultant to the Friendly Spike Theatre Band (a community based, artist run theatre of people living with disabilities and psychiatric survivors) and garnered the 2010 Bobbi Nahwegahbow Memorial Award for this work. She will be singing on the album of songs set to Rumi's poems (Garo and Friends). Her chapbook, "Ruminations of a Fractured Diamond" will be published by lyricalmyrical in the autume of 2011 www.honeynovick.com

George Fetherling
George Fetherling has published 50 books of poetry, fiction, memoirs, travel, criticism and history, including the much-acclaimed Travels by Night: A Memoir of the Sixties. He is also former literary editor of both The Toronto Star and the Kingston Whig-Standard, and has received a Harbourfront Prize for his "substantial contribution to Canadian letters." He lives in Vancouver.

Sandra Ridley
SANDRA RIDLEY has received the bpNichol Chapbook Award and the Alfred G. Bailey Prize, and was a finalist for the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry and the Ottawa Book Award. Her first book of poetry, Fallout (Hagios Press) won the 2010 Saskatchewan Book Award for Publishing. Her new collection from Pedlar Press, Post-Apothecary, has been garnering excellent critical response and is listed among poet Paul Vermeersch's favourite works of 2011. Sandra Ridley lives in Ottawa.


TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14

Art Bar Valentine Poetry Night

Hosted by our resident Valentine boy, Valentino "Loverboy" Assenza


TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21

Art Bar Black History Night

Featuring:

Josh Smith

In 2009, the Montreal Gazette called Josh Smith, “the Buffalo-born badass.” A veteran of the Infringement Festival in both Montreal, and Hamilton, Smith is no stranger to Canada. In 2010, Josh made his first Toronto appearance, at the Junction Arts Festival, and the following month, made his first of many appearances at the Art Bar. Falling short in the 12th Annual Art Bar Discovery Night, he wasn’t seen again until August 2011 when he returned with the goal of becoming both a regular, and a featured reader, no matter how long it took. That goal is realized at the 2012 Black History Night. More importantly, he's earned the respect of his Canadian colleagues along the way. In September, Josh released his first DVD, “Adrenaline Child: The Best of Josh Smith”, covering the first five years of his already-exciting career.

Gabrielle Bowen

Gabrielle Bowen is a contemporary poet, author, and publisher. As founder of Soul To Soul Publications, she is dedicated to providing literary works that uplift, inspire and enlighten globally. Her poetry has appeared internationally in Mind Body Spirit Central, Spiritual Journey and The Evolving Being. Gabrielle is the author of Insight, Soul Intuition, Soul Evolution, Soul Expression and The Invisible Inner Child.

Keisha Monique Simpson

J. Nichole Noel

Hosted by Rudy Fearon