Board

Board members are either elected at VPH’s annual general meeting, or appointed by the board itself as directors-at-large.

Angus Adair: Director-at-Large

The Svelte Ms. Spelt, aka Angus Adair, was the director of the 2007 Individual World Poetry Slam. He was also the only Canadian to ever win the Spirit of the Slam Award for outstanding contribution to the international poetry slam community. A founding member of the Vancouver Poetry Slam, he has been on multiple slam teams spanning a decade of competition.

Chrystalene Buhler: Director-at-Large, Wordplay Coordinator

Chrystalene Buhler is a coordinator for WordPlay, an astonishing poetry program for youth that you can read about here. She also writes stuff (inevitably), works quite a fair amount, shepherds garden gnomes, and buys far too many vegetables. She would very much like it if you booked a poetry workshop.

Susan Cormier: Director-at-Large

Susan Cormier has been an artist-in-attendance at the herland feminist film festival, a founding editor of Rain City Review magazine, and a representative of Western Canada on the SlamAmerica poetry tour. Her print work has won or been shortlisted for such awards as CBC’s National Literary Award, Arc Magazine’s Poem of the Year, and the Federation of B.C. Writer’s Literary Writes. Her videopoetry has been included in festivals across North America and Europe, and in the curricula of two social work training programs. Current projects include “Three on the Tree”, a screenplay examining the nature of memory and identity.

S. R. Duncan: Director-at-Large, Artistic Development Coordinator

Steve is a producer, publicist, free-lance writer, poet and teacher specializing in literary chapbooks and promotional material for limited budgets. His broadcasting credits include CKNW, CITR, Rogers Cable 4, CJSF and CO-OP radio, where he produces a weekly half hour radio show called “Wax Poetic” (Wed.@2pm). On top of numerous publishing credits, he has performed live on stages as far-flung and diverse as Squamish, Victoria, Seattle, Auburn and Portland. He is currently the coordinator of the Word of the Street’s Poet’s Corner.

T. L. Groves: Director-at-Large

I slam poetry to feed my light-bulb addiction: when the current is just right, I flicker and pop. I want to spark interest, even help others to elocute themselves, so I have joined the board of Vancouver Poetry House, where everyone is wired weird and wonderful.

Sean McGarragle: Director-at-Large, Slammaster

Sean McGarragle is a poet and storyteller living and working on Vancouver’s Eastside. He helps out with the Vancouver Poetry Slam and the Main Street Slam and the Vancouver Story Slam. He was the artistic director/producer of the West Coast Poetry Festival.

Sue McIntyre: President, Volunteer Coordinator

Sue McIntyre writes about eccentric planets, armless statues, indestructible station wagons, blue-blooded chiggers and other true stories from the life of a suburban wife and mother who sneaks out to perform at the poetry slam by night. She’s Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator for Vancouver Poetry House. Sue is also a Director of the Shoreline Writers’ society in Port Moody, and helps organize Poets’ Corner at Word on the Street. Her written words can be found in Crisis Management, the latest chapbook published by Shoreline.

Jim McKnight: Treasurer & Secretary

‘I am so GLARB’ … R.C.Weslowski
I too was GLARB for many years and it was a basis of shame
Until discovering that I could use it as a source of power or triumph
Other poets didn’t notice for which gratitude
Of the poetry thing I had been told
Huge prize money fabulous parties nubile young groupies
They lied but the spirit of flagellation was flesh upon me
And I persisted
Sort of so am I here
A Stoker In The Enginerooms of Mammon
A Director of Poetry House
Attempting to lose all credential and degree encrustation
Becoming one with anything willing to let me become one with IT
I would be honoured if you would hey! what the hell am I supposed say?

Shannon Pidlubny: Director-at-Large

Shannon was the co-organizer and founder of “Words Performed” and “House Poetry”; monthly events that brought performances and poetry to art galleries and living rooms in Winnipeg. Shannon has performed with the Winnipeg Poetry Slam Team and with the Young Lungs Dance Exchange – a collaborative group that combined improvised contemporary dance with music and poetry. Shannon’s strongly believes that all writers regardless of level achieved or comfort with the stage has the ability to greatly affect others and that the only difference between poets that are frequently found sharing their work on a stage and those that do not is that the latter have not yet received enough encouragement. Shannon’s favorite gift to buy children is a personalized journal.

Lisa Slater: Director-at-Large, Slammaster of Record

Lisa Slater got shoved off a cliff by spoken word on a bright cool Ottawa weekend in October in 2004. Since then, she’s made it her mission to introduce other people to this thing she loves and to make them listen to her poetry. Lisa works in the non-profit sector in fund development, marketing and communications.

RadaR: Director-at-Large
RadaR grew up in Edmonton Alberta, where she completed two years towards a Bachelor of Arts in history at the University of Alberta. She then, however, found her true passion as a Sound Engineer and Performance Poet. In 2006 she moved to BC there she joined with the Tongues of Fire poetry collective. She is currently living in Vancouver to participate in VanSlam and the Vancouver Poetry House events. Recently she represented Vancouver in Detroit at the Women of the World Poetry Slam.

R. C. Weslowski: Director-at-Large

RC Weslowski/Randy Jacobs is a clown mouth full of UFO counter intelligence, a deep space formica expert-if you must. He takes playzure in juggling silly-balls on his fur coated tongue. RC has somehow become the President of Vancouver Poetry House. He is also currently Co Slam-master of the Vancouver Poetry Slam, a 5 time member of the Van Slam Team who has toured Canada, Europe and portions of the U.S. performing his words.

*Board Members, you can access your online forum here.