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Random Acts of Poetry - a week-long event where poets randomly read poems to people on the streets of Canada -will return for an encore in October.

Random Acts of Poetry is the brainchild of Canadian poet Wendy Morton and supported by online bookseller Abebooks.com and the Victoria READ Society, a non-profit literacy organization. The first event in 2004 featured 27 poets in 18 Canadian cities.

A celebration of poetry and literacy, the poets - all of whom have had their work published - will travel through their cities randomly reading poems to strangers in parks, bus stops, schools, cafes, shops, libraries, hair salons and other everyday places.

As the sponsor, Abebooks.com will donate a payment to each poet for their efforts, as well as purchasing books from each poet’s publisher so they can be presented to listeners, who have been ‘poemed.’

“Random Acts of Poetry had a huge impact on Canada last year. We hope to repeat that effect and also introduce the event to the UK and Ireland where there is a great appetite for poetry,” said Wendy Morton. “We have found poets who are willing to take poetry on to the streets and directly into peoples’ lives. I’ve had remarkable experiences reading poetry to strangers and seeing how poems can move them –sometimes to tears.”

Lisa Stevens, VP of Marketing at Abebooks, said: “We’re delighted to help promote poetry and literacy around the world. Poetry does not adhere to international boundaries and neither does Abebooks.com, which lists books from 13,000 booksellers in 48 countries.”

More info about this year's edition: (updated August 20th 2007)

37 POETS TO COMMIT ‘RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY’ ACROSS CANADA
Random Acts of Poetry, a celebration of poetry and literacy, begins its fourth year during the week of October 1st to 7th, 2007. Random Acts of Poetry is a project of the Victoria READ Society, a non-profit literacy organization, established in 1976. Random Acts of Poetry is funded by The Canada Council for the Arts.

During the week, 37 acclaimed poets across Canada, from Victoria to Newfoundland, including three of Canada’s Poets Laureate, will commit Random Acts of Poetry in their cities and adjacent small towns. On buses and subways, in donut shops and cafes, police stations, grocery stores, curling rinks, on city streets and country lanes, poets will read poems to strangers and give them their books. Poets will also read their poems in ESL and Adult Literacy classes across the country.

Patrick Lane, considered the greatest poet of his generation, says of Random Acts of Poetry, “There are no accidents. Nothing is random. A poem sits in a poet’s pocket and jumps out when you least expect it. It can nestle in a mechanic’s ear, a politician’s hand, a waitress’s bright eye, somewhere, anywhere. You look up from work and there’s a poem. It reads itself to you. It asks you to take a break. It says: Right here. Right now.”

“Poetry”, says Wendy Morton, founder of Random Acts of Poetry, “is the shortest distance between two hearts. I have read poems to hundreds of people, many of whom hadn’t heard a poem in thirty years, and watched their eyes fill up with tears. Some burst into laughter or laid a hand on my shoulder, hugged me, took my hand. Poetry can connect us with each other as humans as no other art form I know. Poetry is a gift that we can create from whatever life has in store for us.”

Across Canada poets will commit random acts in: Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Winnipeg, Stratford, Markdale, Brantford, Toronto, Ottawa, Petersborough, Windsor, Hamilton, Montréal, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Halifax, Antigonish, St. John’s.

In the Greater Montréal area three poets will offer poems to passersby: romantic edged/bilingual poet/Mt. Royal climber Anne Cimon; ex-economist/loon watcher/haiku poet Angela Leuck and translator/language aficionada/founder of Noches de poesía Élizabeth Robert.

Montréal Contacts:
Anne Cimon anne.cimon@sympatico.ca 514.343.0112
Angela Leuck acleuck@gmail.com 514.766.3782
Élizabeth Robert elizabethrobert@nochesdepoesia.com
514.347.3907

National Contacts:
Wendy Morton, 250-642-3542 wendymorton@shaw.ca
Claire Rettie, Victoria READ Society, 250-388-7225 crettie@readsociety.bc.ca

About Abebooks.com
Abebooks.com is the world’s largest online marketplace for books, with over 70 million new, used, rare, and out-of-print titles listed for sale by more than 13,000 independent booksellers from around the world. Abebooks has millions of registered customers who collectively purchase more than 25,000 books a day from its 5 global websites (Abebooks.com, Abebooks.co.uk, Abebooks.de, Abebooks.fr and Iberlibro.com). A true internet success story, Abebooks.com has been selling books online since 1996, and is a private company based in Victoria, BC Canada, with offices in Germany and Spain.

About Wendy Morton
During the day, Wendy Morton is an insurance investigator. During the night, she’s a poet with three books: Private Eye, Undercover and Shadowcatcher published by Ekstasis Editions. She commits random acts of poetry any chance she gets; she once was stopped by a cop for speeding, read him a poem and didn’t get a ticket! She was thus convinced of the power of poetry. Periodically, she boards WestJet flights and writes poems for the passengers as “poet of the skies”. She is also sponsored by DaimlerChrysler who has provided a PT (poetry travels) Cruiser for her poetry and literacy work.

About the Victoria READ Society
The Victoria READ Society is a non-profit organization in British Columbia established in 1976 to bridge barriers to learning. READ’s professional teachers provide students of all ages in the Greater Victoria area with support to learn and improve basic reading, writing, math, ESL and study skills. For 12 years READ Festival has raised money for literacy programs through poetic performances by some of Canada’s finest poets. www.readsociety.bc.ca
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POÈTES MONTRÉALAISES EN RANDONNÉES ALÉATOIRES DE POÉSIE
Les Randonnées aléatoires de poésie (RAP), qui célèbrent la poésie et l’alphabétisation, tiendront leur 4e édition du 1er au 7 octobre prochain. RAP est une initiative soutenue par la Victoria READ Society, un organisme d’alphabétisation à but non lucratif établi en 1976. Les Randonnées aléatoires de poésie sont rendues possibles grâce au soutien du Conseil des Arts du Canada.

Au cours de la semaine, 37 poètes à travers le Canada, de Victoria à Terre-Neuve, dont trois Poètes officiels du Parlement canadien, réaliseront des Randonnées aléatoires de poésie dans leur ville de résidence. Que ce soit en autobus, en métro, dans les cafés et les boutiques, au bureau de police, à l’épicerie, ou même sur le trottoir, les poètes arrêteront les passants, des inconnus, pour leur lire un poème et leur faire cadeau d’un exemplaire de leur livre. Les poètes visiteront également des classes d’alphabétisation pour adultes un peu partout à travers le pays.

Dans la grande région de Montréal, trois poètes circuleront pour offrir leurs livres aux passants. Il s’agit de : Anne Cimon, poète romantique bilingue, escaladeuse du Mont-Royal, Angela Leuck, ex-économiste, ornithologue amateure et haïkuiste, ainsi que d'Élizabeth Robert, traductrice, aficionada de langues étrangères et fondatrice des Noches de poesía.

« La poésie, affirme Wendy Morton, fondatrice des Randonnnées aléatoires de poésie, est le chemin le plus court entre deux cœurs. J’ai lu des poèmes à des gens qui n’en avaient pas entendu depuis plus de trente ans, et j’ai vu leurs yeux s’emplir de larmes. Certains ont éclaté de rire et d’autres ont simplement posé leur main sur mon épaule, m’ont serrée dans leurs bras et serré la main. La poésie nous uni les uns aux autres en qualité d’être humain comme nul autre forme d’art ne le fait. La poésie est un cadeau que l’on peut créer à partir de ce que la vie nous envoie, peut importe ce dont il s’agit. »

Les Randonnées aléatoires de poésie auront lieu d’un bout à l’autre du Canada, soit à Victoria, à Vancouver, à Nanaimo, à Kelowna, à Calgary, à Edmonton, à Moose Jaw, à Winnipeg, à Stratford, à Markdale, à Brantford, à Toronto, à Ottawa, à Windsor, à Hamilton, à Montréal, à Fredericton, à Charlottetown, à Halifax, à Antigonish et à St. John’s.

Poètes montréalaises participantes :
Anne Cimon anne.cimon@sympatico.ca 514.343.0112
Angela Leuck acleuck@gmail.com 514.766.3782
Élizabeth Robert elizabethrobert@nochesdepoesia.com 514.347.3907

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