Upcoming Events 2023

Poet Laureate City Poems Contest: Poetry Video Awards Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, June 11/23, 1-3 pm

“‘‘How Do You Feel?’ The Aesthetic and Rhythmic Kindness of Poetry” LiterAsian Poetry panel featuring David Ly, Tariq Malik, Steffi Tad-y, moderated by Fiona Tinwei Lam, Saturday, May 6th, 3.00-4.30pm Chinatown venue TBA.

Reading for Story Stream Podcast with Vancouver Public Library, April 27/23

Poetry Month with Poets Laureate, The Writers Union of Canada, Webinar, April 13/23, 11 am – 12 pm

Virtual visit, UBC Transition Program, Wednesday, April 12/23

Emily Carr University ECUAD Foundation160 Class screening of poetry videos, Tuesday, April 11, 3:30-6:30 pm

Youth Poetry Video Workshop Screening, Moberly Arts Centre, Saturday, April 8/23, 1-3 pm

UBC FNIS Poetry Video Screening, April 3/23 (TBA)

Poetry about Place Poetry Writing Workshop, Museum of Vancouver, April 1/23, 2-4 pm. Registration here.

Judging of Vancouver Team Regional Competition for Poetry in Voice, March 31/23, Prince of Wales Secondary School, 12:30 pm

Review of SFU IAT 344 Screening of Student Poetry Videos, March 31/23, 10:30 am

Review of UBC FNIS 464 Roughcut Student Poetry Videos, Monday, March 27/23

Reading of The Rainbow Rocket, Intergenerational Storytelling: Memory Loss (Kits Neighbourhood House), March 23/23, 230-4 pm

Review of SFU IAT 344 (Surrey) Roughcut Student Poetry Videos, March 10/23

Visit to Churchill Secondary School, Tuesday, March 7/23

Visit to UBC FNIS 454 Presentation of Student Team Poetry Video Outlines, with Debra Sparrow, Feb 27/23

Visit to University Hill Elementary School, Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023

Online Poetry Workshop for Vancouver Division of Family Practice, Physician Wellness, Wednesday, Feb 8/23 (Free)

Poetry in Parks Workshops, Oppenheimer Park Field House, Feb 2/23 (Free and open to the public)

Visit to Tecumseh Elementary School through Poetry in Voice, Jan 31

Launch of the City Poems Video Poetry Contest (for selected local public post-secondary students), Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, January 21, 2023 featuring presentations by Heather Haley and Tom Konyves

Visit to UBC FNIS 454 Indigenous New Media & Digital Storytelling Course (Professor David Gaertner), Jan 16/23, 12:45 pm

Visit to SFU IAT 344 Moving Images Course (Surrey Campus, Professor Kate Hennessy), Jan 13/23, 10:30 am

Dead Poets Reading Series, (Etel Adnan (1925 to 2021) read by Raoul Fernandes; Steven Heighton (1961 to 2022) read by Fiona Tinwei Lam; Phyllis Webb (1927-2021) read by Jane Munro; Don Domanski (1950 -2020) read by Kevin Spenst), Sunday, Jan 8/23, 3-5 pm, Massy Arts, 23 East Pender Street (Free)

Poetry in Parks Workshops, Oppenheimer Park Field House, Thursday, Jan 5/23, 1-3 pm. (Free and open to the public)

Past Events

Wax Poetic Interview on Vancouver Co-op Radio with R.C. Weslowski and Altogether Lisa, Dec 28/22

Poets with a Video Camera: Video Poetry you 1980-2020, Exhibit at Surrey Art Gallery, Sept 17 – Dec 11/22

A visit with the Moberly Writers & Storytellers Group, “Stone Soup” Workshop for Seniors led by Johnny Trinh, Moberly Arts & Culture Centre, Dec 5/23 10-11 am (Free)

Poetry in Parks Workshop, Oppenheimer Park Field House, Thursday, Dec 1/22, 1-3 pm. (Free)

School Visit to Royal Canadian College secondary School November 9, 2022

“Two or Three Things One Should Know About Video Poetry”, Video Poetry Symposium, Surrey Art Gallery, Saturday, Nov 5/22 at 12-5 pm

Online Panel on writing about grief with Linda Kash & Cathy Sosnowky, Kaleidoscope Virtual Grief and Wellness Conference, Lumara Society, Friday, Nov 4/22, 3-4:30 pm

Spontaneous Poetry Booth, Heart of the City Festival, Carnegie Centre, Main & Hastings, Saturday Oct 29, 1-2:30 pm

Vancouver Writers Festival, Opening Poem at Poetry Bash (8 pm) and Reading at City of Vancouver Book Awards (1 pm), Friday, Oct 21

Orion Lecture in Fine Arts, “Place as Portal,” University of Victoria, Tuesday, Oct 18, 1:30-3 pm, Strong Building C108 (Free to public) plus visits to two creative writing classes (first year and third year)

Reflections and Dreams: Fiona hosts a reading with Chris Banks, Leanne Boschman and Evelyn Lau for Word Vancouver, Sept 25/22, 5:30-6:30 pm, Segal Centre Room B.

Launch of New Shoots Anthology of Student Writing, Tyee Hall, False Creek Community Centre, Sept 21, 7-9pm.

Canine Library for Kids, VPL and Vancouver Parks Board, Saturday, Sept 17, 1-3 pm (Free) Fiona & the VPL prepared a dog poem display and dog poem worksheets to help kids and families compose poems to read and share!

Reading with Contributors in recent 2022 issues of Prism International Literary Journal, Thursday, Aug 25, 6-7:30 pm, Massy Arts, 23 East Pender.

Evening Gala Reading for Write On Bowen, Cove Commons, Aug 6, 7:30 to 10 PM.

Poetry in the Park reading, Royal City Literary Arts Society, Queen’s Park, New Westminster, outdoors at the band stand, Wednesday, July 20.

Ta’talu Festival, A Rocha Environmental Centre, 1620 192 Street, Surrey, Saturday, July 9, 2:30 PM (Readings from Worth More Standing tree anthology)

Cross-Genre Panel, FTL with Anosh Irani and Jennica Harper (host Bronwen Tate), Wednesday, July 6, 10-11:30 AM for UBC MFA School of Creative Writing Summer Residency Program.

School Visits:

Tecumseh Elementary June 23 1:15-2:30 PM, Tilia Prior’s grade 7 class (Hogan’s Alley poems submitted for City Poems Contest)

David Lloyd George Elementary, June 20, 1:30-2:30 PM, Cindy Chow’s grade 4/5 class (Concrete Poems and Poems to Ordinary Objects/Places)

University Hill Elementary, June 13, 2-3 PM Kate Sian Foreman-Ng grade 1/2 class and with 30 minutes with Andrea MacEwen’s 2/3 class  

Sunday Summer Reading Series, Galiano Inn, Galiano Island, June 5 (Fiona reads with Gary Geddes and Anne Eriksson.)

Panel for Asian Heritage Month, online discussion with Fiona Tinwei Lam, Ying Wang & Nancy Lee with Host Cherlyn Cortes for the BC Centre for Disease Control, May 25.

LiterAsian, Introductory remarks at Launch of 2022 Festival, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, Saturday, May 7.

Launch of Harbour Centre 5’s chapbook, Brine, Historic Kogawa House, May 7th (with readings by Peter Norman, FTL, Robbie Chesick, Rebecca Holand, James Wang, Jaeyun Yoo, Christina Shaw, and Melanie Little).

Downtown Eastside Writers Festival: Welcome speech at Meet & Greet launch on May 5. Carnegie Centre Theatre. Blue Pencil Sessions. Book a 15 minute meeting with Fiona to discuss a draft poem, Friday, May 6, Learning Centre, Carnegie Centre.

Vancouver Writers Fest’s Writers in the Classroom visits, Eric Hamber Secondary and Magee Secondary on May 3 and 11.

Home, Heritage & Migration, A Poetry Workshop , Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, May 1.

Verses Festival: Introductory Remarks for April 21 (Hullabaloo) and April 27 (Canadian Individual Slam Poetry Preliminaries) .

Judging National Competition for Finalists Online for Poetry in Voice, airing April 21. More about the competition here.

Judging Open Mic Contest for Poets Corner Reading Series, April 20, 2022,

Screening of “Plasticpoems” at the Poetry Video Showcase at the Unbound Poetry Festival, Delta Literary Arts Society, April 9.

Visit to Bronwen Tate’s Intro to Writing Poetry Course, UBC School of Creative Writing, April 5.

The Art of Revision Workshop, TWS Community Workshop, SFU Continuing Studies, April 3.

Poetry & Place Workshop, Free hybrid live and online workshop following Historic Kogawa House AGM, held at Historic Joy Kogawa House and online, March 28.

Writing the City: Crafting Poems about Place, VPL Free Online Workshop, March 19. Recording of presentation based on workshop here on VPL’s Poet Laureate Playlist.

Buried History: A Poetry Workshop at Mountain View Cemetery, Live workshop after a 20-30 minute walking tour on site, March 5 in partnership with Pandora’s Writing Collective.

Poems about Place: Writing Workshop with Heritage Vancouver for Heritage Week, Feb 21.

Point Grey Secondary School, workshop with grade 8-12 student group (Feb 16, March 9, April 6).

Gung Haggis Fat Choy, Sunday, Jan 30 (Annual celebration of Robbie Burns Day and Lunar New Year hosted by Todd Wong with various entertainers, bagpipe music and more, streaming live.) Recording available to view here.

Poetry to Welcome the Lunar New Year, Fiona hosts and reads with Catherine Lewis, James Wang, Isabella Wang, Lucy Yang, & Jaeyun Yoo, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, Sunday, Jan 30 (Free online). Recording available to view here.

Beyond the Concert Hall, Online interview with Leila Getz, Founder and Artistic Director of the Vancouver Recital Society, January 26, 2022

Workshop with the Downtown Eastside Writers Collective, Carnegie Centre (led by Gilles Cyrenne), Jan 20.

Writing the City: Launch of Vancouver Poet Laureate’s City Poems Contest, online panel with local poets Joanne Arnott, Junie Desil, Evelyn Lau, Alex Leslie & Kevin Spenst, moderated by Fiona Tinwei Lam, Sunday, Jan 16 . Recording on VPL YouTube channel available here.

Finding Poetry Everywhere, Interview on On the Coast (CBC Radio, Jan 17/22) with Gloria Macarenko

Interview on North by Northwest about the Writing the City, Launch of the City Poems Contest, (CBC Radio, Jan 16/22) with Sheryl MacKay (37.57-44:55 minute mark)

Spotlight: Fiona Tinwei Lam, Law ’90, Queen’s Alumni Review, Winter 2021 #4 (Interview)

November-December 2021

Cross-Pollinations: Canadian Health Humanities Virtual Rounds Series, with Leanne Dunic and Armand Ruffo, League of Canadian Poets, Dec 29 (via Zoom)

Socials 10 Class (Teacher D.P. Lee) at Windemere Secondary School, Dec 8 & Dec 17

English 11 Class (Teacher Tanja Boteju) at York House School, Dec 15

Volunteer Party for Immigrant Services Society, Dec 15 (short reading and writing exercise via Zoom)

LLED (Language & Literacy Education) 367 Teaching Writing, Education Faculty, UBC (Two sections: Dr. Bonnie Nish in afternoon and Dr. Kedrick James in morning), Dec 10

Wax Poetic Interview, Vancouver Co-op Radio, with R.C. Weslowski & Kevin Spenst, Dec 8

Moderator for Storied Event: Writing the Past (Michael Prior, Shaena Lambert, Eve Lazarus),  BC & Yukon Book Prizes, Nov 24 via Zoom

Guest reader at re-launch of Betsy Warland’s memoir, Bloodroot–Tracing the Untelling of Motherloss (with Claudia Casper, Jonina Kirton, Miranda Pearson, and Jen Currin) Nov 23  via Zoom

Workshop with the Downtown Eastside Writers Collective, Carnegie Centre (led by Gilles Cyrenne), Nov 18

(See Past Events for Jan 2020-Nov 2021)