Hello! To the disdain of my enemies, this is another chance to boost my ego: a blog article for the Bolo Tie Collective. Bolo Tie and I go way back to before the pandemic when I was but a wee freshman at MacEwan University. In the first year, I painted my agenda with extra-curricular activities such as GAMU and The Bolo Tie Collective, but gradually and over time, my passion for being a poet flourished more than being a gamer. Not saying that you can’t do both because I still play games like Persona 3 Reload, Persona 5, and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on my Xbox One.

You may ask, “How did you get into poetry?” The weird part is that I would troll about Rupi Kaur on my Tumblr back in the day. I also had a morbid curiosity about life and a troubled home life that riddled me with a case of the poetry pox. An outlet of survival, if you will. My troubles became so bad that my mom called an intervention with all my best friends, one of whom made the moment all about herself. Looking back on that day, I cannot believe the sheer audacity of that person. The gall. The intrigue. The drama. It was that and much more. I believe that was what got my foot in the door of poetry: acting and improvisation in high school. It naturally led me to a creative outlet of performing and being on stage. 

What stokes your fire?
What ignites your flame?
What moves your soul? 

Write about that. How does university make you feel? Trapped? Amused? Isolated? Confused? 

From my experiences with The Bolo Tie Collective, the kicker is that it takes courage to go up on that stage and perform, and it takes additionally as much to start writing. I don’t know about you, but it takes me forever to start writing about anything. Nervousness seeps into me like tea leaves diffused into water and poof! There goes my idea. My advice for people who forget or have trouble starting to write is to write your inspiration down as soon as possible. Wherever, whenever. Grab your phone and jot it in your notes app or write it in a journal if you can or on your laptop when surfing YouTube videos. 

Now, onto the juicy bits: advice for all of you green poets out there. Just try. The most simple and effective way to be a poet coincides with experimentation and opening oneself to the potential of other people as friends, confidants, and mentors. In saying that, here are some locations in  Edmonton that have open mic events: 

Audreys Books – Basically a ten-minute walk from the Building 7 campus. Bookshops like Audreys provide recognition to many Albertan poets and other more independent publishers and keep them afloat in the scrutinous eye of the invisible hand. Reflect on other poets’ works, see if you can intertwine voices and reach out to them. I know if someone were to read my book or zine and make the effort to reach out and compliment my work, I would feel amazing. Audreys Books serves as a place of poetry for the Haven Reading Series. Contact the Scroll of Poets for more information on how to participate. 

Felice Café – Just a ten-minute drive from MacEwan University. This place serves as a buzzing hub for certain poetry community events. I just so happened to be at Multitudes on Saturday, November 16^th, 2024. My good friends Joy Love, Ryan James Summers (Some-Sum), and Jonah Angeles were performing alongside the amazing Dwennimman (Shima Aisha Robinson) and Arienette Zak, who serves as the fourth Poet Laureate for the City of St. Albert, with electronic Edmontonian musician Laura Potts. Additionally, Felice Café has a Queer Poetry Open Mic that happens on an odd Wednesday, look out for it on their Instagram or other socials. 

The Carrot Coffee House – This is a volunteer-powered, not-for-profit coffeehouse. Not going to lie, I haven’t been to their poetry events before. Alas, I only went to see the art and drink good coffee. With their amazing atmosphere, I would love to attend their next poetry night.

Soul Speak – Literally on Whyte Ave, near the hustle and bustle of life. An event brought to you by the one and only Some-Sum (Ryan James Summers). This event is held on the fourth Sunday of every month at the Grindstone Theatre. With good food and good people, it is an intimate venue that encapsulates soul-shaking poetry. I recommend participating in this, just look up the event on Facebook (Soul Speak) and ask Some-Sum if you can be added to the roster. Best of luck!

Ultimately, it is your choice to go to events and venture outside of the walls of MacEwan University. I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavours. If you need help, just reach out to me:

By E-mail: janel.lope@yahoo.com / lopej@mymacewan.ca

On Instagram: @therealjanellope

On Facebook: Janel Lope 

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/183386161-janel-lope