Tag: music

NewsLetter

Leave a comment

Welcome, fellow hOwlers,

What a magical beginning to the year. Our 41st Woolf’s Voices gathering was truly special, filled with poetry, spoken word, and music, sparking connection, inspiration, and a wonderful honouring of the divine feminine. We are deeply grateful to the artists who joined us to create such a nourishing evening, and to Shelf Life Books for so lovingly hosting us. The words were powerful, the music ethereal. It was a luminous way to step into the year.

We are pleased to invite you to our Land & Sea: Honouring Indigenous Feminine Voices – Woolf’s Voices 42, sponsored by League of Canadian Poets. Please join us for an incandescent evening of soft-lit connection. We gather as artists, dreamers, and wanderers of every kind, to revel in vibrant art, soul-stirring poetry, and the magic of creative kinship. You are warmly invited to arrive exactly as you are and step into a shared safer space, one woven from many voices and identities, where we honour the feminine. However, each of us names it. In the shimmering, boundary-breaking spirit of Virginia Woolf.

This is a free event; donations are warmly appreciated. We kindly ask that you register through our Eventbrite link. Your care and support help us continue creating gatherings like this, and we’re so grateful you’re part of this community.

This event is Co-Curated and Co-Hosted  by Adrienne Adams and The Merchant of Poetry

Hosted by: The Merchant of Poetry (Tyler Merchant) is a spoken word artist and fiction writer from Calgary, Alberta. She began her poetry career in 2018, when her close friend bullied her into joining her high school slam team. She began competing in the Alberta youth slam, Can You Hear Me Now, continued on to be a regular at The Calgary Poetry Slam, and was a finalist at the 2023 and 2025 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam. She’s received a Bachelor’s degree in English with a Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Calgary. Most of her work is epistolary, exploring themes of feminism, queerness, and spite.

Enjoy this warmly rooted, joy-filled gathering of creative talents.

PRAIRI CHERRI

Plump, bold, and juicy, this is a whole lotta mama. A proud Kainai Blackfoot and Black burlesque baddie, Prairi serves body-ody-ody, caramel curves, and a magnetic wink that’ll make you weak in the knees. Known for mixing impeccable tease with cultural pride and a wicked sense of humour, she’s the berry you’ll crave long after the show is over.

Social’s: IG @PrairiCherri

PATRICIA C

Patricia C is a MĂ©tis writer from Calgary, Alberta. She enjoys many forms of art, and started writing fantastical stories at a young age. Her princesses always befriended the dragons and found the knights annoying. These days, Patricia likes to write poems and can often be found reading history books.

Socials: IG https://www.instagram.com/trccarter?igsh=MWduMWY0eW9yZHJqag%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

CHANEL KLEIN

Bio: Chanel Klein is a spoken word poet, creative non-fiction writer and hoser from Treaty 6 territory. You can find her work in ROOM Magazine, Circe Magazine and the Edmonton Public Library’s Capital City Press anthologies.

Socials: @chanellovespoetry on Instagram and Substack

ASHELY GHOSTKEEPER

Ashley Ghostkeeper is a proud MĂ©tis artist from Alberta whose music blends heartfelt storytelling with modern country and roots influences. Known for her authentic voice and empowering presence, she has performed across Canada and earned multiple #1 singles on the Indigenous Music Countdown. Ashley is the 2025 YYC Music Awards Indigenous Artist of the Year, quickly establishing herself as a powerful new voice in Canadian country music

Socials: Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/ashleyghostkeeper

Spotify:

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/ashleyghostkeeper/

Website: 

https://ashleyghostkeepermusic.com

LEEANN GOMEZ

Leeann Gomez is an Indigenous poet and artist from Kainai, Chippewa Cree and Tohono O’odham Nations. She is also currently a student at the University of Calgary pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.

Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/leeanngomezart?igsh=MXRsbDJ4ZmVmOGNiNg==

We look forward to connecting and hOwling with you all on April 29th!

Please take a moment to register for the event here! We’re so grateful for your support.

Thank you so much to our generous sponsors and supporters, League of Canadian Poets, Writers Guild of Alberta, and Alexandria Writers Center, whose kindness and commitment make it possible for Woolf’s Voices and its artists to bring these gatherings to life.
We are especially grateful to Shelf Life Books and Alcove Center for the Arts for opening their doors to us and creating such a welcoming home for our hOwls, a place where we can come together and honour the feminine in all its forms. It is a true privilege to collaborate with these spaces and the wonderful people who run them, and we appreciate your ongoing support more than words can say.

IN OTHER NEWS

Our Woolf’s’ Voices alumni are blooming with all kinds of fun, imaginative creations. Here’s what’s blossoming in our radiant creative community and how we’re celebrating and supporting their magic.

Join three of our spectacular alumni, Skylar Kay, Shone Thistle, and Sheri-D Wilson, for a writing workshop and evening of poetry on April 11th to celebrate National Poetry Month!

Join Josie Veness and Cobra Collins on April 15th at 6:30pm for All The Way Up at Loophole Coffee Bar! Enjoy some spoken word magic and a good beverage!

Join Ashley Frerichs for an illuminating night of hope and excitement for the future at Pachamama Soul Flavour Emporium on April 21st at 7pm!

Join Shelf Life Books for Independent Bookstore Day on April 25th! They have a lot of wonderful events coming up this month. Check them out here!

Join Speak Up YYC for an evening of creative flow! Their Free Open Mic Night is taking place on April 30th! You can catch our lovely Adrienne Adams and her lush poetry gracing the space! Click on the photo below to visit the post!

Join Kenna Burima at Congress Coffee on May 28th for Artist Speak: Social Media, re-imagine your relationship with social media and dive into an experience like no other. Part talk show, part storytelling, and creative gathering! Get your tickets here!

Check out other events by Artist Speak here!

Make sure to check out Alcove Center for the Arts’ upcoming events here! They have lots of fantastic events!

Thank you all again for an incredible start to this year. We’re so excited to see what blooms this spring in our community!

We hope you enjoyed this newsletter! Let us know what else you’d love to see in future issues—your ideas help shape what we create.

We can’t wait to hOwl with you on April 29th at Alcove Center for the Arts and to share space, stories, and conversation together. We’re truly looking forward to seeing you there.

Warmly,

The Woolf’s Voices Collective

NewsLetter

Leave a comment

Welcome, fellow hOwlers,

What a year we’ve had together! It was filled with magic, inspiration, connection, and cherishing the divine feminine hOwl we all hold within! Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being part of such a heartening space and for honouring the feminine with us. This past year with you all has been nothing short of amazing, illuminated by poets, musicians, spoken word artists, and a whole lot of howling together. Your support—through donations, your presence, your voices, and your hearts—has meant more than words can say, and it is all appreciated so deeply.

We are excited to be relaunching our newsletter, which will be sent out a maximum of five times a year. We would like to invite submissions from alumni event listings in the community.

Our first newsletter will be going out to our previous email list. You can always unsubscribe if you do not want to receive our newsletter! We thank you for understanding!

Here’s a look back at the moments that defined this past year.

We’re kicking off the new year with Woolf’s Voices 41, and we hope you’re ready to hOwl with us! Our first event of the year takes place on February 18th at 7:00 p.m., in collaboration with the wonderful folks at Shelf Life Books (1312 4th Street SW).

This edition features selections curated by Adrienne Adams and will be hosted by Tyler, The Merchant of Poetry. Mark your calendars, invite your friends, and come hOwl with us!

Everyone is warmly welcome to join us for an evening of vibrant art, soul-stirring poetry, live music, and incredible artists. Come as you are and share in a collective safer space that is deeply intersectional and invites us to honour the feminine—however we each define that word, in true Virginia Woolf style.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image.png

Explore this curated mix of creative magic:

Damase Elis

  • is a Calgary-based singer-songwriter who writes stripped-back folk and blues songs grounded in storytelling and feeling. Her music explores desire,tenderness, and the inner worlds of women. 
  • IG: @damase_elis 
  • Web: damaseelis.com

Lynda Williams (she/her)

is the author of The Beauty and the Hell of It & Other Stories and a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award. Her work has appeared in Grain, The Humber Literary Review, and The New Quarterly.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-1.jpeg


Marley HeavyShield (they/she)

  • is a Blackfoot (Kainaiwa) artist and writer currently attending AuArts. Taking inspiration from their Blackfoot culture and family, land and relationships are common themes in Marley’s work.
  • Instagram: @abnormerl
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-5.jpeg

Robin van Eck

  • You probably know her better as the Executive Director for the Alexandra Writers Centre, but Robin van Eck is also a writer and creative based in Calgary. Her short stories and personal essays have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies across Canada and internationally. Her first novel, Rough, was published in 2020. 
  • @robinvan_eck 
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-2.jpeg

Shaun Hunter

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-3.jpeg

Tonya Lailey (she/her)

  • did a master’s degree in political science, started a winery with family, got a pilot’s licence, became a sommelier and mother of two daughters before getting down to writing for real. She got an MFA from UBC in 2022. Her first full-length poetry collection, Farm: Lot 23 was published by Gaspereau Press in 2024. She’s finishing a second poetry collection and working on a short novel.
  •  @tonyalailey.bsky.social
  • https://www.facebook.com/tonya.lailey
  • tonyalailey.ca
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-4.jpeg

We look forward to connecting and hOwling with you all on February 18th!

Register for the event here!

Thank you so much to our generous sponsors and supporters, whose kindness and commitment allow Woolf’s Voices and its artists to bring these events to life. We are deeply grateful to Shelf Life Books and the Alcove Center for the Arts for offering us space, and for creating a welcoming home where we can gather and honour the feminine with our hOwls. It is a true privilege to collaborate with these spaces and the wonderful people who run them, and we appreciate your ongoing support more than words can say.

In other news

Our Wolves’ Voices alumni are up to all kinds of fun, imaginative projects! Here’s what’s new in our vibrant creative community—and how we’re celebrating and supporting their work.

Edmonton Comes to Calgary: Theresa Shea in conversation with Julie Sedivy

Thursday, Feb 5th, 2026. 7:00 PM at Shelf Life Books. Find more information here.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-2.png

Ready for a joyful smackdown? Join Calgary Poetry Slam on February 9th, 6:30 pm at Dickens Pub for their Poetry slam featuring Kay Fraser, an award-winning spoken word artist, educator and wellness practitioner.

Head on down to Speak up! A free spoken word open mic, hosted by MelVee X the last Thursday of every month. Find more information here.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-3.png

Join Ashley Frerichs for a lovelying evening at the Poetry Parlour Open Mic night, on February 17th, 7pm at Pachamama Soul Flavour Emporium. You can find more informationhere.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-1.png

All The Way Up, Calgary Poetry Slam is having an open mic night! Join them at @loopholecoffeebar for their monthly open mic. Doors open and sign up at 6:30 pm, all ages, first-come, first-served, and free!

Single Onion #217 The Single Onion celebrates Black History Month with a special event curated by Bethel Afework and featuring the poets Bkaay, Iftu Hargaay, and Jya Noe. WHEN: Thursday, February 19th, 7pm. WHERE: Shelf Life Books, 1302 4 St SW. Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/@SingleOnionPoetry

Experience the energy, creativity, and heart of the Ethnik Festivals 2026 performing artists. From breathtaking dance to soul-stirring music, comedy and spoken words—this is a celebration you won’t want to miss! ✨ Featuring, Wakefield Brewster performing on 28th February 2026, bringing the power, elegance, and entertainment to the Ethnik stage.

Sally V Truss, Elizabeth Millham, Vivian Hansen and Kimberley Jones are launching their 2nd Fates collection “Leylines & Landmines” Sunday, March 29th, 4pm at Owl’s Nest Books in Britannia Shopping Centre – 815a 49 Ave SW

Check out Alcove Center for the Arts’ upcoming events here! They have lots of fantastic events!

Thank you all again for an incredible year. We’re so excited to step into this new one with you.

We hope you enjoyed this newsletter! Let us know what else you’d love to see in future issues—your ideas help shape what we create.

We can’t wait to hOwl with you on February 18th at Shelf Life Books and to share space, stories, and conversation together. We’re truly looking forward to seeing you there.

Warmly,

The Woolf’s Voices Collective