Word Up

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Regina Word Up is a spoken word series and community based out of Regina, SK. Since early 2012, we have presented regular Regina Word Up events, including poetry slams, community stages (open mics), youth nights and an incredible range of creative writing and performance workshops presented by many of our featured performers in our space.

Regina Word Up is a SpeakNorth (formerly Spoken Word Canada) member series. We’ve supported spoken word teams to attend both the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (adult) and Voices of Today (youth) festivals and solo artists to compete nationally at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam.

Our Regina Word Up Volunteer Collective provides insight and direction for our series keeping what we do community focused.

To be a feature performer or a workshop facilitator, send us an email with your bio, photo, an explanation of the work to be performed and/or the description of your proposed workshop. We will consider all applications and move forward with those most suitable for our community.

For all other inquiries, including performing at events, community partnerships, and volunteering, please email spokenword@creativecitycentre.ca (preference) or connect with us via social media @reginawordup.

Upcoming Events

Creative City Centre in partnership with Artesian on 13th present Regina Word Up at The Artesian!

Regina Word Up Open Mic featuring Abdulsalam Abo Alshamat

Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Time: 7:00-9:00 pm (SK time), doors open at 6:30 pm

Location: The Artesian, 2627 13th Ave, Regina, SK

Price: Recommended donation of $5 or pay what you can. (Cash)

*Free if you perform!

*Sign up at the door.

*First come, first served.

*All ages

The Artesian is a fully licensed, all-ages, and wheel-chair accessible facility located in the heart of Regina’s Cathedral Neighbourhood.

Please note: The Artesian requires everyone to wear a mask. Each performer will get their own mic or the mic will be sanitized between performers.

Please see The Artesian’s policy here: https://artesianon13th.ca/pages/covid-safety

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CREATIVE CITY CENTRE PRESENTS REGINA WORD UP AT THE ARTESIAN!

The pandemic encouraged the Creative City Centre to pivot and transform the Hague Gallery, the beloved home of open mics and poetry slams for close to a decade, into a production studio when safe in-person performances weren’t possible. The CCC now produces exciting digital content and professional development — check it out at https://creativecitycentre.ca/.

We are thrilled to partner with The Artesian to use this beautiful community space as a backdrop for poetry once again.

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7pm – Open Mic

8 pm – Feature performer

9 pm – Ends

Our open mic is an opportunity for folks to gather and share appreciation for the art of spoken word. Everyone is welcome on our pressure-free stage for 5-minute spots. All genres, styles, and stories will be celebrated. (Please see community guidelines below.)

We encourage audience members to engage during the performances – snap, make cheesecake noises (mm’s and yes), laugh, stomp, or otherwise make your appreciation known!

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Feature performer:

Abdulsalam is a Syrian-Palestinian poet and photographer based in Regina. His words explore themes of exile, identity, belonging, and, sometimes, love. Before winning the lottery of resettlement to Canada in 2021, he lived with his family in Malaysia for nine years where his storytelling journey started. He performed twice at the George Town Literary Festival and won second place in the 2019 Migrant & Refugee Poetry Competition in Kuala Lumpur.

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GUIDELINES, COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS AND CONSENT STATEMENTS

At the Creative City Centre we always strive for inclusivity and respect in the community both inside and out of our facility, which is why we have compiled the following guidelines to remember both for our events and also in everyday life.

  • We encourage respecting the way folks self-identify, without assuming gender, sexuality, orientation, religion, or ability.
  • We understand that at times folks may need to leave or engage in other methods of self-care, and that’s okay.
  • We encourage language that promotes inclusivity, education, and awareness and dislike all forms of explicit ignorance including, but not limited to, hate speech, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and classism.
  • We encourage the culture of consent meaning we respect people’s physical, verbal, and emotional boundaries. This means respecting that some people might not want to be hugged and if you want to engage physically in any way with a person it is important to ask permission before doing so.

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Regina Word Up is a program of the Creative City Centre. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, SK Arts, City of Regina, Creative Saskatchewan, and the Canada Council for the Arts that make programs like this one possible. We are grateful to The Artesian, who are facility partners for these events.

For more information, please email spokenword@creativecitycentre.ca