Anti-Valentines Verse
Poetry to Break Your Heart
While walking down Sherbrooke street in the NDG, you might notice a page of poetry tacked to the window of a local book and record shop. Whether you take a few moments to read the poem or continue on your way, you’d perhaps quietly wonder how that poem ended up there. That quiet wonder and awe are intensely intertwined with the roots of the Encore Poetry Project. Stemming from Encore Books and Records, the project has taken on a life of its own, growing into a beautiful space for community, art, and verse.
A little over two years ago, Forget The Box’s very own Dawn McSweeney interviewed Inuya Schultz, the inaugural founder of the creative endeavour. Her thoughtfully written piece describes the project’s emergence and interconnection with Encore Books and Records, a neighbourhood staple. Since they last spoke, the project has both grown and transformed into a new imminent form, filling its space in different ways. Inuya had to indefinitely step away, bestowing the project into three pairs of welcome hands. Those hands belonged to Sophie Dufresne, Binh An Nguyen Cuu, and Yael Tobón, poetry editors whom I had the pleasure of writing to. Sophie, a poet and trained writer, first got involved in the project years ago when their work Clickbait Poetry was displayed in the very window we passed by earlier.
“A few months later, I had a dream that Inuya, the project’s founder, was looking for editors to help her out with the project. When I informed her of this, she said that was, indeed, the case, and I’ve been an editor ever since,” he described.
When Inuya left the project in Sophie’s hands, he reached out to Binh and Yael to help keep it running. The three harnessed their skills, devotion and creativity to mold the project into what it is today. The roots of their commitment all grow in the same soil: community, accessibility, and the power of grassroots art.
“My devotion to this project stems from the inspiration fueled by our local talents, our contributors, my fellow editors and our founder’s love for poetry, as well as their vigorous urge to cultivate it,” Binh shared.
What started with their window exhibitions turned into print work, the team taking a pause from displays to put together two written anthologies. Now their smaller team has brought back the classic window display, highlighting new poems every other week.
“We believe that poetry is best celebrated when made accessible, whether stumbled upon or enthusiastically visited,” Binh continued. Their displays do just that, cleverly sharing work with the NDG neighbourhood. Each poem gets its chance to shine, adorned by the distinct turquoise walls of the book and record shop. Yael added to the sentiment, synthesizing the experience of seeing poetry in your day to day. “We appreciate printing and anthologies, of course, but there is something so mundane about having access to a poem just by looking at a window, it can even feel like an epiphany!”
Beyond their window displays, Encore Poetry has taken on a new form of sharing art: open mics.
Their first open mic event took place in November of last year, hosted in Le Frigo Vert, an anti-colonial community centre. Despite the STM strike and treacherous Montréal snow, participants flooded in, illuminating the event with their presence and poetry.
Their next open mic is taking place Sunday, February 15th, the day after Valentine’s. It was organized in collaboration with Accent Open Mic, a reading series dedicated to highlighting local poets and authors. Hosted in Bar le Record, a quaint bar with exclusively vinyl music and a selection of cocktails, beer, and scotch, the venue’s vintage feel makes it the perfect place to listen to the rich heartbreak, abandonment, and sadness that will flow from poets lips.
“The vulnerability and intimacy that comes with sharing poetry to an inviting crowd is a crucial aspect of this form of art,” Binh shared, “which is why we feel grateful towards initiatives such as Accent Open Mic for consistently organizing open mic events, and as a result, creating a safe space for all to share.”
The free event will meet audiences February 15th at 8pm. The editors described the anti-Valentines themed night as an avenue for poets to share their heartbreak, grief, and buried feelings through art. Bring all of your emotions and sign-up at the door to share your poems (I see you poets and lovers out there) or to listen.
Though Encore Poetry has changed over the years, it continues to bring the community together to bear witness to the beauty and rawness of poetry. The project remains accessible to all art lovers, offering free or pay-what-you-can tickets for their open-mic events. Keep an eye out on their socials for updates, upcoming events like poetry trivia, and to meet the amazing team behind such an incredible endeavour. They’re excited to see and hear you on anti-Valentines.
WHAT: Accent Vol. 131: "Anti-Valentines" an Encore Poetry Project Takeover!
WHERE: Bar Le Record, 7622 Rue St-Hubert, Montréal, QC H2R 2N6
WHEN: Sunday, February 15 @ 8PM
METRO: Jean Talon (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
Poster by Binh An Nguyen Cuu
