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Stroll of Poets

Even the organizer of Edmonton's annual Stroll of Poets event would be the first to admit that poetry scares most people. In fact, that is why the festival was organized in the first place, to create a venue to bring poetry to the people.

Before the first Stroll of Poets took place in 1992, many local poets found there were few places to hear or read poetry. Poetry seemed to be trapped in either a university or a non-university setting with very little overlap. When the Stroll emerged, university based poets, community based scribblers and weekend amateurs alike came together into a unified, wandering gypsy crew.

	Ken Wilson of the Stroll of Poets discusses the very first installment of the event.Listen Now

The Stroll of Poets works as follows: groups of five poets each read at a specific venue for five minutes each. After each group member has read the poets move on to a new venue and begin their readings again. This way, the audience stays in one place and is treated to a wandering display of the best poetry the city of Edmonton has to offer.

The Stroll is democratic and anyone can sign up for the event. Furthermore, each entrant is allowed to submit one poem in the annual poetry contest. Judges choose 44 favorite poems and the writers of this verse are invited to the 12 Days of Poetry in January.

Few other events in the country try so ardently to bring poetry, often dubbed an esoteric literary form, to everyday life. Without a doubt, the Stroll of Poets has succeeded. That the event has continued for more than a decade is a testament to its appeal and popularity.

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