The Seventeen Syllable Slam is a literary comedy poetry competition where poets attempt to win over judges with their short poems. Each poem needs to have seventeen syllables or less (sort of like a Haiku) and there will be 16 poets in the competition, with the top four taking home cash prizes. The poems do not have to be funny, but the event certainly will be. Please expect a unicorn, bubbles, flags, and fur.

Our Poets for this year's compeition are:

Sonya Littlejohn | Jenny Garcha | Johnny MacRae | Amanda Eagleson | Spillious the Ridiculous One | Mo the Poet | David Geary | Duncan Shields | Sarah Watters | Fernando Raguero | Catherine Lewis | Leslie Stark | Warren Dean Fulton | RC Weslowski | Samantha Kennedy | Marlo Browne

Famous Last Words is a spoken word comedy show that involves poets participating in six rounds of a faux competition where they ‘compete' in a series of poetry related events that are in turn, 'judged' by our host (with input from Uni the Unicorn and our audience).

These games include poems written in unusual forms (haiku, sonnet, limericks, etc.) or on silly themes (love poems directed to someone in the room) or with funny addendums (poems must be written from the perspective of a puppet and must be read with said puppet). There are 25 potential games that can occur during any episode of Famous Last Words thus no two shows are exactly the same.

We have recurring characters at every show like Uni or the Dr. Dru or the Professor that add further silliness to the show and we hand out free chocolate to everyone that attends. We also tend to loan our unicorn bubble guns to the audience and give our free sticker/pins to members of the audience. Its been called a kids show for adults or spoken word that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Bios

Aaron Hunter has been writing poetry for as long as he can remember, scribbling in the margins in class and memorizing stanzas on bus rides. He is inspired by life's occasions from the mundane to the momentous, the silliness to the sorrows. He is a poet, performer, writer and visual artist. His work explores topics such as mental health, healing, and his identity as a queer transgender man. He is the founder and Artistic Director of "Brave Voices," a weekly poetry open mic in Port Moody. His debut chapbook "The Archives" was released at the end of 2024.

Babaloluwa (Lolu) Oyedele is a Nigeria-born, South-Africa raised interdisciplinary artist, performer and writer. He is privileged to be part of the Unbound Reading Series team as well as a member of Playwrights Theatre Centre’s Block A writing cohort led by the auspicious David Geary. He is currently working and living in the unceded territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, otherwise known as Vancouver, B.C.

Ever Roberts is in her third year at UBC, studying applied animal biology. She manages the outreach of UBC Slam Poetry and is passionate about creating poetry spaces for the student community and leading her team. Poetry has felt to be an innate way for her to process and encapsulate the stories that she lives through. Poems to her are a safe-keeping place to stash mementos of nature, literature, science, and her lore.

Jenny Garcha humbly learnt to accept the generosity of Penticton’s diverse immigrant community. These people who were from all the different corners of the globe. Who were here in Canada, trying to make a name for themselves and provide for their families, just like her mother. Her childhood was multicultural; different languages, tongues and mouths speaking, often hollering over one another as if she had landed in the middle of the tower of Babel. This loving community that surrounded Jenny in her early years, is the positive influence she has with her through every adventure she partakes in. She carries her Canadian family with her everywhere.

Marlo Browne is a Barbadian poet and author who has self-published four books. All books are available on amazon and the UEL marketplace on Granville Island in British Columbia. The first three books are also located at Bean Around Books in Maple Ridge while his fourth book can be found at Massy Books in Vancouver. Some of his books can also be found in Well Read Books, Word Wealth and Windows eat Books on Nanaimo. They can also be found at The Creative Bookworm in Langley City while his book is now in Surrey Libraries.

His first book, entitled Pictorial: Writing for Stars that want to return to Constellations was published in 2019 and received 5 star reviews on Amazon. His second, entitled Marlo Browne presents: The Young and Gifted, published in 2021, also received 5 star reviews. His third, entitled Thoughts of a Mature Mind was published and released in 2022. His fourth and latest book, entitled The Life and Times of a Poet was published and released on August 28th 2023 and has also received a 5 star review on Amazon. Marlo is a very versatile poet who has been featured many times online. His work spans several topics such as social injustice, mental well-being love, race, health disorders and many more. Marlo has also performed at several open mics and events in Langley, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Surrey, White Rock, Granville Island, North and East Vancouver.

Marlo has also participated twice in author showcases at the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library and he also did a reading at the Strathcona branch. He also performed at this year’s Verses Festival at the Wise Hall in Vancouver. He also performed at the ACCESS festival in Surrey in August 2024. His business, A Pint of Knowledge, was also nominated in the best solopreneur category at the Black Excellence Awards in 2023. As a film maker, he is the co-author of the short film 'I'm Sorry' which placed second in the short film category at the Langley City Film Festival. He is also a member of several literary associations such as the Delta Literary Arts Society and the Federation of BC Writers. Marlo is also the current Poetry slam champion of Da Luv Jones Poetry Showcase and was a part of the inaugural Da Luv James Book Festival.

Sean McGarragle is a poet, storyteller, teacher, performer and event producer from the republic of East Vancouver. He is the founder of Death Rides a Unicorn, The Vancouver Story Slam, The Canadian Individual Poetry Slam and the Vancouver International Poetry Festival (now entitled Verses). He has performed and read his work from Dublin to Denver, from Moose Jaw Saskatchewan to Madison Wisconsin. He is super excited to host this show and to showcase these great talents.

Uni the Unicorn is the antithesis of Death. Uni is joy and love, buoyant and distracting. Most of the time, Uni has chocolate and bubbles to share.

The role of Uni for is played by the wonderful and talented Andrew Sutherland. He does not wish to be formally recognized for all the work he does but I included him in this promotional material anyway.

Liars of Orpheus is a kids show for adults where writers produce small lectures on strange topics. This month, writers will be creating fun work on Fantasy/Science Fiction Planets. They will be writing on Vulcan and Ferenginar, Panet Spaceballs and Planet Druidia, Dune and Dagobah, Hoth and Bedpan. They win points from bootlegging their truths past their opponents or having their lies mistaken for truths. You can call it literary comedy or an excuse to eat chocolate outside of the house. You can say it’s a slapstick slam where the points don’t matter, if you wish. What you can never say is that its tepid or plain.

This episode of Liars of Orpheus features Clint “Father Goose” Wilson, Dina Del Bucchia, Erika Thorkelson and Johnny MacRae

Bios

Clint “Father Goose” Wilson is a writer, musician, artist, poet, antique dealer, auctioneer, actor, and raconteur who lives in a cabin of wonder next to his auto salvage yard in Chilliwack BC, creating things to instil joy and amazement in the general populous. Clint’s 4 piece instrumental band Fusionstein has released 3 studio albums to date.

Dina Del Bucchia is a writer, podcaster, literary event host, editor, creative writing instructor and otter and dress enthusiast living in Vancouver on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people. She is the author of the short story collection, Don’t Tell Me What to Do, and four collections of poetry: Coping with Emotions and Otters, Blind Items, Rom Com, written with Daniel Zomparelli, and, It’s a Big Deal! She is the Artistic Director of the Real Vancouver Writers’ Series, hosts the podcast, Can’t Lit, with Jen Sookfong Lee and is on the editorial board of fine.press. Her chapbook, Douche Process, is available online at ryanfitzpatrick.ca/modelpress/. You can check out her website at dinadelbucchia.com.

Erika Thorkelson is a writer who grew up on the prairies on a steady diet of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She’s currently stationed at Emily Carr University of Art + Design where she’s a lecturer in humanities but her essays, criticism, journalism and short stories have appeared throughout the galaxy.

Johnny MacRae (he/him) is a spoken word poet living on the unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) nations. A winner of regional and national slam titles, he has toured widely as a featured performer at poetry series and arts festivals, both solo and with collaborative acts such as 2 Dope Boys in a Cadillac, Travelin’ Word Circus and The Dambassadors. In 2013, he was named Poet of Honour for the Victoria Spoken Word Festival, and in 2017, received the Zaccheus Jackson Nyce Memorial Award.