As Poiema Gals, we have been working together as a group since 2008, though we weren’t calling ourselves Poiema until 2009.  And although we consider ourselves to be a company in most senses of the word, we have not yet incorporated.

Now in our 5th year of operation, we have decided to look into becoming a society.  Lucky for us, Edmonton has fostered a lovely inter-disciplinary arts community that is interested in the success of everyone!  Edmonton artists want everyone to succeed, realizing that we aren’t competing against each other for audiences or popularity, but that the more successful someone else’s company is, the more people will continue coming out to community arts events.

So as we begin to embark on our incorporating journey, we were blessed to have Ainsley Hillyard of Good Women Dance Collective join us this past Tuesday evening at Remedy Café.  She generously shared her successes and failures with us imparting a breadth of knowledge that she spent over a year researching.  Even after our 2 hour long conversation, she continued to go the extra mile, emailing us resources and ensuring we know we are welcome to call her if we have anymore questions along the way.

Stay tuned over the next year, as Poiema starts another leg of our journey, continuously moving towards bigger and better things. We are definitely in a good company in Edmonton, what a wonderful community we have here.  I am so proud of the Edmonton arts scene!  Love you guys, may one person's success be a victory for all.

-S

While it costs quite a large dollar to go to a Ted conference, you can see them on the internet for free.  Or, if like me, you want to be in a room surrounded by hundreds of other people getting fired up and inspired by their fellow human beings, then you could head out to Pecha Kucha for only $15.

Similar to Ted Talks, there are a variety of speakers speaking on any number of topics.  The difference is, each speaker only gets 6 minutes and 20 slides each lasting roughly 20 seconds.

I attended the Vancouver chapter of Pechu Kucha with a few friends on June 13th for the first time.  The main theme was “Around The World” and featured native Vancouverites sharing the work they are doing around the world.  One guy was developing a water filter to give to families in developing nations, another volunteered at an elephant sanctuary, another was founding girls soccer clubs around the world and the list goes on.  The innovation, hard work, and what seemed to be random happenstance, came together to create something beautiful and inspirational.  These people’s small hopes to change one person's life, teach soccer, or take photos, lead to the changing of communities, countries and entire lifestyles.

Pechu Kucha has put a fire in my belly to live beyond myself, keep dreaming, and get connected to the silent voices in my heart that are leading me towards whatever it is that I will do to help better the world around me.

This all leads back to the wonderful accomplishments of people immediately in my world, like the Fashion For Freedom fundraiser that my fellow Poiema Gals pulled off with major success.  Who knows, maybe us Poiema Gals will be up on a stage at Pecha Kucha in Edmonton or Vancouver one day to talk about the things that we have been doing, and hopefully all the lives we are positively affecting.  I’m so proud of my fellow Poiemians and privileged to count myself among them.  Can’t wait to see what great things come out of your lives, ladies.  I love you so much.

Find a Pecha Kucha event near you, and be inspired. 

-S

Candice and I arrived last Sunday in London, Ontario for our first Fringe Festival of the year.  We didn't tour our show, "Middleton: a folk musical", last year and we were itching to be back on tour.  This is also the first time either of us have been to this beautiful city.  

Poiema Productions is producing Candice's one-woman show, "Anatolia Speaks", written and directed by Kenneth Brown.  We had a preview the day before we left Edmonton, and it was the first time I had seen the play.  

What a beautiful piece of theatre.  The writing is brilliant and Candice completely becomes Anatolia, an immigrant from Bosnia living in Edmonton and working at Superstore.  She shares heart-wrenching stories of the life she has left behind, as well as touching hopes and dreams of the life she has started and will continue to build.  The play puts an immigrant’s life into perspective- especially the things that happen to them before they immigrate.  We are extremely lucky to be living in Canada, free to do as we please with a surplus of food and water to fuel us as we go. Anatolia doesn't take anything for granted and celebrates the life she has now without throwing away her past.  She has every right to be an angry, cold, dark person after going through life in war-torn Bosnia and her difficult travels to get here, but instead she is uplifted, joyful, and hopeful of what is to come.  Her personality and outlook is a breath of fresh air and will capture anyone she shares her story with.  

We opened the show last night and it went great!  Our audience was responsive and Candice received a standing ovation, well deserved I might add.  We were in a wonderful article about Ken Brown (and the 5 shows he's involved in here) and put in the list of the top 10 buzzed about shows in the London Free Press so I'd say we are off to a great start here in London!  It doesn't hurt that the show is written by Ken Brown, not only our teacher and mentor, but also the man who has taken part in the Fringe Festival since the year after it's creation.  He has written or co-written over 30 produced plays!  It is a huge honour to produce one of his shows.  

London has been so good to us and we are sure it will continue to show its love throughout the Fringe.  Break legs everyone!

-B

---Other shows to check out at the London Fringe: "Minding Dad", "Grumpus Gets Revenge", "Be A Man", & "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea"

Two Thursdays ago, I started my long 1206 km journey to the Sasquatch Music Festival in the Gorge Amphitheatre, Washington.  Packed into the Toyota Matrix along side me was my wonderful boyfriend, a tent, some clothes, and a bunch of disposable cameras, ready for a weekend celebrating music with other like-minded people.  This was my first camping festival I had ever been to and I wasn't sure what to expect.  I pictured lying on the grass on a blanket in the warm sun in front of a gigantic stage soaking in all my favorite songs.  I wasn't too far off.  Other than being relatively unprepared for the camping portion- forgetting rain gear, cooking tools, warm clothing, and games/books to keep me occupied during the day- it was a magical weekend.  

The campsite is a short trek away from the festival grounds and so when Friday arrived, we joined the herd of people excitedly walking the marked trail.  As we entered the gates, I could see we had arrived; we had made it to Sasquatch!  But it wasn't until we stood at the top of the hill that it really hit me, looking down on the lawn, the stage, and behind it- the Gorge.  Tears came to my eyes at the beauty of it all.  The grass plunged down the hill to the huge stage and the view was breathtaking.  The Gorge had beautiful walls of rock surrounding waters that were calm and still except for the occasional boat or sea-doo carving the glass.  

Music.  Here are some of the bands I got to see:  Vampire Weekend, Bloc Party, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Dropkick Murphys, Postal Service, The XX, The Lumineers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Elvis Costello, and best of all... MUMFORD & SONS!  I had caught their Rexall Place show the day before I left Edmonton, and seeing them only made me more excited to watch them again at Sasquatch.  We started making our way to the front about three hours before they were scheduled to take the stage.  Luckily, we were surrounded by very friendly people we could chat, laugh, and rap with.  That's one thing about Sasquatch: you meet tons of great people.  Mumford & Sons did not disappoint.  Seeing them up close was amazing.  I love seeing a band enjoying themselves on stage.  I like to know that they are having as much fun as the audience is.  I sang the words to every song and jumped and clapped along with the whole mass of people who have been touched by their music.  It was one of the best experiences of my life.  

So yes, the port-a-potties (their brand of choice was Honey Buckets) and the rain and the chilly weather was no expense when it came to the once-in-a-lifetime experience I had.  I'd like to give a special thank you to my boyfriend, David Dempsey, for going out of his way to get me to the front for Mumford & Sons, and for making sure I had one of the best weekends of my life.  

-B