By Sharon Harris

There’s a lot of poetry happening in the city today. We realize that it’s Saturday n’ all, and we hope our readers are taking time to slow down to hear the poetry in their own lives.
Pause.
Okay—now, are you ready for this? Today, the Dub Poets Collective‘s reading series presents its Kingston Solidarity Poetry Tour: a day-long literary festival of dub poetry and spoken word. Inspired by the successful 2006 Kingston Dub Poetry Festival, Kingston Solidarity Poetry Tour will showcase acclaimed poets of its literary scene on Toronto dub poets’ territory.
The afternoon performance, Kingston Poets Grounding/Sounding, will be an improvised collaborative reading and dialogue at the Hub of the Dub (805 St. Clair Avenue West, 2nd Floor) from 3 to 5 p.m. (with donation). A group of Toronto poets, including Lillian Allen and Klyde Broox, will perform with Kingston poets Diane Dawber, R.D. Roy, and Mary Ellen Csamer.
The evening reading happens at Ellington’s Music & Café (805 St. Clair Avenue West) from 8 to 11 p.m. with a sliding scale admission price of $5 to $10. Co-hosted by dub poets Clifton Joseph and Peculiar I, the event will feature a mix of new and established Kingston talent: Chris Dawber, Farren Gainer, Roger Dorey, Richard Grove, Gabrielle MacIntire, P.S. Sri, Mike MacWhirter, Laura Lee Orser, and Bonita Summers.
The Dub Poets Collective was formed in 2003 as a creative organization dedicated to promoting dub poetry as “a vital cultural practice.” To get a feel for dub, check out this awesome video of Lillian Allen giving a stunning performance. Sigh. Pause.
Photo of Lillian Allen reading at Queen’s Park swiped from The Dubblog.