Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - One

I confess: I'm not a big lover of poetry. Give me fiction or theatre. You know, something alive and dynamic with characters and a story. That I'll take any day of the week. But poetry, with all that imagery and, well, language that I'm supposed to appreciate for its beauty? And look interested while I'm doing it? Yawn.

If you're anything like me, Diapsora Dialgoues' poetry reading series - Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - could change your mind. The series takes place over three Thursdays in July - the 8th, the 15th and 22nd. It puts together three poets and three moderators - who are poets themselves - for a discussion on poetry that has me thinking this might be more like theatre where the poets are the characters and the stage is the gorgeous Grano Restaurant.

(And speaking of poets. Check it out: Maya Angelou knows and loves this place!)

Of course, if you like poetry, you could go for the poetry itself.

And if you like edgy Italian, you could go for the food and stay for the poetry.

First up, on July 8th, is a reading by Molly Peacock from her latest book, The Second Blush, with a discussion to follow moderated by Olive Senior.

To learn about Molly Peacock, visit her website: http://www.mollypeacock.org/

And check out her poem "The Cup". Turns out that there can be characters in poetry, after all. Huh. Who knew?

To learn more about Olive Senior, go to http://www.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=455

From where I pulled this slice of her poetry.

perhaps as you sip your tea
at three in the afternoon
a bit incontinent
despite your vast holdings
(though I was gratified to note
that despite the difference in our skins
our piss was exactly the same shade of yellow)

Oh, yes! This does promise to be fun!


WHEN: July 8 Doors open at 6:30 pm
(Don't forget Poetry, Prosecco and Pasta - Two on July 15th, and Three on July 22nd)

WHERE: Grano Restaurant, 2035 Yonge Street (at Davisville)

COST: $75 per evening - includes dinner, a drink, and a copy of the book under discussion. A $25 charitable receipt for single tickets can be issued upon request. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable. Contact Natalie or Aisling on 416 944 1101 to purchase tickets. Due to limited space, advance booking is strongly recommended.

The line up:

July 8: Molly Peacock and The Second Blush, with moderator Olive Senior
July 15: Erín Moure and O Resplandor, with moderator Priscila Uppal
July 22: Daniel David Moses and Sixteen Jesuses, with moderator Moira MacDougall