Crowd The Schoolhouse won awards for Best Writing and Best Use of Genre at this years International Doc Challenge. We are also up for an Audience Award and need your votes! Check it out and see if we are worthy! 
We would LOVE your support!
Very happy to be heading to the world premiere of my first Hot Docs entry, Crowd The Schoolhouse, a poetic journey through the industry of Toronto’s historic Evergreen Brickworks. In partnership with the tremendously talented ‘Made In Toronto’ company, this short doc was made in just five days and chosen as one of twelve finalists in the Hot Docs International Documentary Competition. Crowd The Schoolhouse will be screened TONIGHT at Innis Hall (U of T) at 7pm. I am so proud and excited to share this, so please come out and celebrate!
UPDATE: Crowd The Schoolhouse Won for Best Writing & Best Use Of Genre (Social Commentary)!!!!!
Heading to (and performing at!!) Toronto Poetry Slam City Finals at The Royal Cinema! 7 pm for a show that’s going to blow up!! Featuring Kiki Fraser and the most amazing slam poets Toronto has to offer! Be there!!!
It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and I am so happy about Spring coming in like a lion. Thank you sunshine! Thank you also to my great friend Eamonn O’Connor, who invited me into Made in Toronto’s efforts to create a short documentary for the Toronto Hot Docs International Documentary Challenge. We came together and created Crowd The Schoolhouse in just five days (!!!), a short doc about the renewal about the Evergreen Brickhouse community, which was just short listed from over 90 global entries into the finalists (top 12) of the Hot Docs International Film Festival!! PLEASE come out on Tuesday May 1st to support our film at the world premiere. Click here to buy tickets. We are so excited and so proud of our effort! It is based on my original (new) poem of the same name… and if you come to the premiere, you will have the chance to see the other 11 incredible works by documentary filmmakers from across the globe.
Also, I just happened to watch KONY 2012 Part 2, and was blown away by the efforts and perseverance of the Invisible Children conglomerate. Please watch this and resist cynicism! It’s amazing. Do something! April 20th! I’ll be there!!!
Thanks for listening,
LB
Happy International Women’s Day!
I just watched the most incredible documentary about the movement to remove/capture/indict Joseph Kony, the leader of Uganda’s destructive Liberation Army. This man has singlehandedly destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of children, making them into orphans and child soldiers, and taking away their freedoms, voices and hope. Please watch this powerful doc, and do what you can to support the movement. Take the time; I was completely compelled by this.
WATCH ME HERE: 37119711
Thanks for listening,
LB
For the last five years, I’ve had the incredible honour of curating Be Heard, A Festival of Student Voices that features champion slam poets alongside the students of York Region. This explosion of positivity occurs each March, and brings with it a fusion of creative thoughts and ideas. Over the last few years, we have been fortunate to host the Incredible Jamal ‘Versiz’ May, the Indomitable BLAIR, the Canadian Slam Champions ‘The Recipe’ alongside some of Toronto’s most incredible performers. This year is no less impressive, bringing together the talents of what I affectionately call Team Love: Lishai Peel, Jordan Cassidy, Kayla Fraser & Tanya Neumeyer. Between them, have graced stages across the continent, and taking in their words is sure to leave you nourished, proud, happy and inspired. Please join us via live stream (courtesy of York University’s ABEL’s Duris Jackson) FRIDAY @ 1-3pm…
Enjoy!
Hello All,
Tonight, I am thrilled to be returning the Art Bar Valentine Poetry Reading.. This will be my second year featuring at this amazing event, and about my fourth or fifth featuring at Art Bar (Canada’s longest running poetry series). One of the reasons I have always loved performing at the Art Bar is that it is the place where I got my start as a poet; driving downtown every Tuesday for those precious three minutes on the open mic was the focal point of my week for a few years. The fact is, the community of poets that read and listen at the Art Bar is unparalleled; I know it made me a much better reader and editor of my own work. On any given night, you will be shoulder to shoulder with literary publishers, Griffin award winners, and spoken word slam superstars.. an amazing cauldron to be in. So come down to Paupers Pub TONIGHT (8 pm, the perfect way to cap off dinner) and experience the poetry of myself alongside Dwayne Morgan, Myna Wallin Jessica Bedenek, Archna Sahni, Romeo Satin
and many others. It’s going to be an amazing night!
Happy Valentine’s!
Thanks for listening,
LB
Hello All,
Just a quick note to gather the attention of all my artistic friends.. the following note comes from Kirabo Canada, a fantastic, registered, non-profit organization that has been working to build (and rebuild) communities over the last ten years. This year, I am happily serving on the board that organizes their Gala Fundriaser, in order to support their efforts in Uganda each year.
We are looking for artists to consider being a part of the Voices of Hope Gala on Sunday April 15th – 6pm at Lula Lounge – 1585 Dundas W. The Gala runs annually and it hosts musical entertainers from Toronto. Right now we are looking for performance artists to commit to a one time performance at this Gala.
Kirabo Canada is specifically looking for artists of African (particularly Ugandan) descent, but is open to all artists who are interested in contributing their work.
All the proceeds from this Gala will go to assisting the educational needs of children who have endured the horrors of civil war. Be it beds to sleep on, treated mosquito nets to protect from malaria or desks and books to study from, the money raised will have a huge impact on their lives.
In appreciation for your support, we would be more than happy to distribute your company business card, any promotional items or announce your generous efforts/donation and our gratitude during the event.
Please email me with any questions and/or contacts you would like to offer.
Thank you!!
Lara
Hey There,
I just wanted to take a break from writing to celebrate one of the amazing resources I have stumbled upon in the last few months… The Poetry Foundation, which some of you may already be familiar with, is a non-profit organization dedicated to culling the world’s best poetry, and sharing it with the largest possible audiences. In the same vein as the Montreal International Poetry Prize, this Foundation seeks out poetry in all corners, and celebrates the work in a variety of genres; audio poems, visual artistry, interviews, essays, video ~experienced poets reading newbies work, newbies reading experienced poets~ they look at poetry from all angles, and for those of us that like to over-indulge, it’s a veritable feast.
Happily, they also excel at range; my favourite toy has become the Poetry Foundation iPhone App, which lets me spin (roulette wheel style) through a variety of moods and themes, and brings up a different selection of poems and poets each day. It’s actually been a huge buoy for my writing. Like the Montreal Prize (which published a selected http://montrealprize.com/anthologies/longlist-anthology/, over the course of a month) this habit has become infections; I read the poems, reread the poems, mull them over, consider structure, narrative, tone.. invariably sitting down at the computer to dabble in my own ideas far more often than I would, if left to my own devices. The moral? Celebrate other people’s work. It makes you better.
While we’re here, I’d also like to celebrate the work of another global organization, called Avaaz.org, “meaning “voice” in several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages—launched in 2007 with a simple democratic mission: organize citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.” This organization is impressive for a lot of reasons, namely because they poll participants in order to built a priority list each year, and build action-movement agendas accordingly. “The Avaaz community campaigns in 15 languages, served by a core team on 6 continents and thousands of volunteers — signing petitions, funding media campaigns and direct actions, emailing, calling and lobbying governments, and organizing ‘offline’ protests and events — to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people inform the decisions that affect us all.” In an age of media and corporate bullying, this organization feels good and strong and free.
Currently, they are working to protect Jasper National Park from the Harper governments attempts to sell off sections of this Crown-protected land to an American owned company, in order to have it developed. Needless to say, this sets a scary precedent for all of Canada’s incredible wilderness, and they are doing an admirable job of galvanizing citizens into action. Luckily, Greg Fenton, Superintendent of Jasper National Park, is doing what he can to push back against corporate (and governmental) pressure, and Avaaz.org is supporting him through an online petition. So far, 156,977 Canadians have signed on, and they are looking for a nice round number of 200,000. If you would like to support this cause, take a minute to read and sign.
Thanks for listening,
LB
