The Martlet

What:Canadian Festival of Spoken Word
Where: Victoria Event Centre, and more
When: Nov. 10 to 14
How much: $7 to $15

Sharpen your eyes, clean those ears and get ready to have your senses overloaded.

The sixth-annual Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (CFSW) is almost upon us and, with over 60 spoken-word artists, poets and performers plunging into Victoria for the first time ever next week, it promises to be one hell of a show.

The festival, hosted this year by the Victoria Slam Team (formed through the popular Tongues of Fire poetry collective), is a celebration of the arts — on a local and national scale.

“The goal of CFSW is to grow and foster the art of spoken word across Canada,” said festival organizer Steven J. Thompson. “But it’s become more than that. Spoken word is a democratic, blue-collar vehicle for social change — and everyone can do it.”

Each year, different competing cities bid to host the festival (think Olympics on ink) and, lucky for local residents, Victoria won this year’s round.

“We wanted to show the rest of the country what is going on here in Victoria, in our beautiful, collaborative art community. But we also wanted to help that community grow, by showing Victoria what the rest of the world has to offer,” said Missie Peters, a member of the Victoria Slam Team for two years running now.

With dozens of events packing a five-day schedule, competitors and eager spectators alike can expect a full slate.

Along with the performances of 12 teams from across Canada competing for the championship title, this year’s festival will include some bonus features, which Peters calls “value events,” added for a more rounded entertainment experience.

Events will include open mics, Aboriginal, women’s and trans showcases, educational workshops (including tips on grant writing, performing solo shows and touring), late-night cabarets (from erotic to rock ‘n’ roll performances) and some surprises. There will even be a “Last Chance Slam” on Nov. 10, where any performer brave enough to try can compete for a spot on the Wild Card Slam Team. Best of all, the public will be invited to participate in everything — most especially, in judging the slammers.

Thompson, who has been the artistic director for Tongues of Fire for the past four years, hopes those in attendance will feel inspired to grow their own writing and performance art.

“A huge drive for this festival was to promote a scene that was geared for all levels,” said Thompson. “No matter where you’re at, there will be people you can aspire to. It’s a very tight-knit community, with welcoming arms and a lot of encouragement to offer. You won’t see any diva-ism here.”

Those lucky enough to attend this year’s CFSW will also be enchanted with feature performances by veteran spoken-word artists Sherri D. Wilson, Regi Cabico, Andrea Thompson and

C. R. Avery. But the festival won’t just be about poetry. Be prepared to see erotic art shows, local DJ dance sets and even poetry yoga.

And while Thompson and Peters say they would have loved more time to work on the festival (which has been in progress for months now) they admit it would be hard to pack anything more into the schedule. Now, Peters just has to focus on competing.

“Being part of a slam team really challenges you artistically … [especially] because you compete as an individual to get on a team, then have to collaborate on pieces as a group,” Peters said. “But the CFSW is like a shot in the arm. I came home last year and wrote three new poems.”

Still, the festival comes down to having a good time for one and all.

“As we say in slam, ‘the points are not the point; the point is the poetry,’” Thompson said.

All events will be held in the Victoria Events Centre, with the slam finals being held at the Alix Goolden Hall. To find out more about the festival, and for a full schedule, check out cfsw09.com.