Get Your Poet On!
International Festival of Poetry of Resistance (IFPOR) POETRY WORKSHOPS
Friday afternoon from 2 to 4 pm:
The Working Women's Community Centre, 533A Gladstone Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6H 3J1
No admission/registration charge
Open to anyone and everyone in the community, so please tell everyone you know!
Sessions are presently conducted in English and Spanish
For More Information: resistancepoetryfest@yahoo.ca
International Festival of Poetry of Resistance (IFPOR) POETRY WORKSHOPS
Friday afternoon from 2 to 4 pm:
The Working Women's Community Centre, 533A Gladstone Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6H 3J1
No admission/registration charge
Open to anyone and everyone in the community, so please tell everyone you know!
Sessions are presently conducted in English and Spanish
For More Information: resistancepoetryfest@yahoo.ca
Dear poets and supporters:
The International Festival of Poetry of Resistance (IFPOR) has been encouraged by the great response to our first volume of IFPOR's Anthology - 2011 and our Board has affirmed the decision to go ahead with the publication of the second volume of the IFPOR Anthology of Poetry of Resistance. We, the Editorial Board, would like you to consider this an invitation to you to submit your poetry for consideration for this second volume to be published in 2012.
Please review the IFPOR Aims and Declaration of the 3rd IFPOR listed below. This year our 4th IFPOR shall take place October 12 - 14, against state terrorism. We hope you will consider attending the Festival as well as be inspired to participate in thie anthology. As before, we are accepting poetry by internationally and nationally-acclaimed poets as well as novice poets which will hopefully result in an anthology that wil be like a poetic time capsule reflecting, poilitically, socially or personally, the angst of the turbulent age we are living through.
Poetry submitted must be in English (or translated into English); Each page is equivalent to 24 lines including spaces between verses. We suggest that you keep your biographies to a maximum of four lines.
Please email your poetry to resistancepoetryfest@yahoo.ca with your name at the top, followed by your biography and then your poem(s). The costs of publication are as follows: one page: 24 lines including the bio, would cost $50. The poet would also receive two books free of charge; two pages: $75 plus 5 books free of charge to the poet; three pages: $100 plus ten books free of charge to the poet.
For those who need to have their books sent by post, IFPOR may have to charge extra for shipping and handling. This will be determined by each individual case.
At the end of your poetry submissions please add the following RELEASE and PERMISSION:
I give IFPOR permission to publish the above poetry in the second volume of IFPOR's Anthology of Poetry of Resistance - 2012. The poems submitted for the anthology may be reprinted for purposes of publicity or review. All rights to the submitted poetry shall revert back to the author upon publication of the Anthology.
Dated in _____________ (your location) this ___ day of _________, 2012.
The deadline date for submissions will be February 29, 2012. Please send your cheque in the appropriate amount made out to IFPOR with "Anthology" written on the memo line to:
IFPOR-Treasurer, C/O Carlos Angulo, 575 West 5th Street, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L9C 3P7.
Thank you to the poets who have already offered their poems for submission. Please feel free to forward this invitation to other poets who might be interested in this project and we hope to hear from you soon.
In solidarity,
IFPOR Editorial Board
Lisa Makarchuk, editor; Carlos Angulo, Steve O'Brien, Charles Roach, Jeannine Pitas, Roger Langen
The next "Free Verses, Free Voices" at Dooneys is scheduled for after the Festival.
Stay tuned for updates...
DECLARATION BY THE EXECUTIVE
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF POETRY OF RESISTANCE (IFPOR)
September 2, 2011
September 12 marks the 13th year that the Cuban Five have been unjustly imprisoned, serving egregiously long sentences in maximum security prisons in the United States. The major charges against them were conspiracy to commit espionage. Conspiracy charges are a frequent tactic of prosecutors determined to obtain a guilty verdict in the absence of evidence --because their burden of proof is much lighter. Witnesses at the trial of the Five, including members of the U.S. military, testified that the information the Five gathered was in no way a threat to U.S. security and could be found in the public domain. During the trial, on May 25, 2001, the prosecuting attorney asked the judge to withdraw the most serious charge, that of conspiracy to commit murder, against Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Five, because the attorney had no evidence to support the charge. Yet this request, among others, was denied by the judge, and these five Cuban heroes, who had tried only to prevent terrorist acts from injuring and killing innocent people, were all found guilty on all counts and sentenced to a total of four lifetimes plus 77 years.
While these sentences have been appealed to no avail save for slight reductions, IFPOR raises its voice in demand of freedom for the Cuban Five.
On August 16, 2011, a Habeas Corpus appeal of one of the Five, Gerardo Hernandez, with new arguments was brought before Judge Joan Lenart. Its two main arguments are based on the fact that journalists in Miami were paid to create an atmosphere of hysteria against the Five during the original trial. The second reiterates Hernandez' innocence in the shoot-down in Cuban airspace of two planes belonging to a terrorist group in Miami. Included in this argument is a request for the U.S. government to release satellite photos of this incident which would conclusively determine its location.
The First International Poetry of Resistance (IFPOR) in April, 2009, was held in honour of the Cuban Five. Hundreds of poets, musicians, and participants signed a Festival Declaration demanding freedom for the Cuban Five. Their names were added to those of Nobel Prize winners, world-renowned scientists, artist and personalities and to millions of people across the world who have called for freedom for the Cuban Five.
IFPOR also strongly condemns the cruel punishment of Gerardo Hernandez and Rene Gonzalez, two of the Five, whose wives have been prevented from visiting them for over a dozen years.
This year, in 2011, IFPOR again joins forces across the world in calling for President Obama to do the right thing: immediately release these five men from prison and allow the wives of Gerardo and Rene to visit them.
IFPOR EXECUTIVE
September 12 marks the 13th year that the Cuban Five have been unjustly imprisoned, serving egregiously long sentences in maximum security prisons in the United States. The major charges against them were conspiracy to commit espionage. Conspiracy charges are a frequent tactic of prosecutors determined to obtain a guilty verdict in the absence of evidence --because their burden of proof is much lighter. Witnesses at the trial of the Five, including members of the U.S. military, testified that the information the Five gathered was in no way a threat to U.S. security and could be found in the public domain. During the trial, on May 25, 2001, the prosecuting attorney asked the judge to withdraw the most serious charge, that of conspiracy to commit murder, against Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Five, because the attorney had no evidence to support the charge. Yet this request, among others, was denied by the judge, and these five Cuban heroes, who had tried only to prevent terrorist acts from injuring and killing innocent people, were all found guilty on all counts and sentenced to a total of four lifetimes plus 77 years.
While these sentences have been appealed to no avail save for slight reductions, IFPOR raises its voice in demand of freedom for the Cuban Five.
On August 16, 2011, a Habeas Corpus appeal of one of the Five, Gerardo Hernandez, with new arguments was brought before Judge Joan Lenart. Its two main arguments are based on the fact that journalists in Miami were paid to create an atmosphere of hysteria against the Five during the original trial. The second reiterates Hernandez' innocence in the shoot-down in Cuban airspace of two planes belonging to a terrorist group in Miami. Included in this argument is a request for the U.S. government to release satellite photos of this incident which would conclusively determine its location.
The First International Poetry of Resistance (IFPOR) in April, 2009, was held in honour of the Cuban Five. Hundreds of poets, musicians, and participants signed a Festival Declaration demanding freedom for the Cuban Five. Their names were added to those of Nobel Prize winners, world-renowned scientists, artist and personalities and to millions of people across the world who have called for freedom for the Cuban Five.
IFPOR also strongly condemns the cruel punishment of Gerardo Hernandez and Rene Gonzalez, two of the Five, whose wives have been prevented from visiting them for over a dozen years.
This year, in 2011, IFPOR again joins forces across the world in calling for President Obama to do the right thing: immediately release these five men from prison and allow the wives of Gerardo and Rene to visit them.
IFPOR EXECUTIVE
April 3, 2011
To: Family and friends of Dudley Laws
We heard the sad news of Dudley’s passing and wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. We know the impact he made on this city as a whole. We recall his direction of the Black Action Defence Committee founded in 1988 after Lester Donaldson was shot by the Toronto police. Dudley fought for the rights of Black men and thereby for the rights of all of us. His courage and determination brought about changes in our city that enabled all of us to sleep more peacefully no matter what our colour or where we came from. His presence with his signature black beret always in favour of justice and human rights was an example for all of us and we shall miss him for he was one of Toronto’s heroic sons.
We appreciated and were inspired by Dudley for his values for justice and peace coincided with IFPOR’s aims. One of our members, doing research on the shooting of Black men here in Toronto, remarked on his profound insights and friendly accessibility and we shall never forget his splash on the Toronto scene!
Festival Committee
International Festival of Poetry of Resistance (IFPOR):
Carlos Angulo, Jose Gonzalez, Lisa Makarchuk, Steve O’Brien, Jeannine Pitas
