2018 ANNUAL REPORTS EDMONTON STROLL OF POETS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Greetings Strollers;
Thank you for your support this year. Whether you were involved as a board or committee member, mic or door host, or an engaged Haven audience member, your investment was of immeasurable value to our community. I’m pleased to report that it was another successful season in what has become an enduring tradition of excellence for the Edmonton Stroll of Poets.
As I reflect on the completion of our twenty-sixth year of operation I am gratefully reminded that what made us still sustains us. We were born to serve poetry and poets in and around Edmonton and we continue to do so.
The Poets’ Haven continues to grow in popularity providing new and experienced poets an opportunity to express themselves in a democratic and supportive atmosphere. I am also grateful for the efforts of Janis, Susana, Anne, and Marco for their contributions that keep our regular poetry gig running. I’m also thankful for their contributions on the board along with Alice, Naomi, and David. I’d like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for Naomi McIlwraith’s incredible long service to our board (12 years!) and to David for his contributions this past year.
We wish them both the best.
I’ve always been impressed with how we’ve been able to hold true to our values and continue to seek ways to innovate and grow. Maintaining relevance and imagining progress, in an evermoreconnective world, is a challenge we embrace. As always, it is the strength of our membership that keeps us vital. You’re the heart, you’re the beat, and you’re the thump that keeps us jumping!
Yours in verse, John Leppard
2019 ANNUAL REPORTS EDMONTON STROLL OF POETS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Well, my friends, another successful Stroll of Poets year is over and as I reflect on the season a number of feelings present themselves. I am so grateful for the contributions of our many volunteers. We are powered by your energy, thank you,. I am also thankful to our supportive membership, whose financial donations allow us to continue to keep membership costs and Haven fees at an accessible level. We truly are the best ticket in town. I shared the sadness we all felt, as we bid farewell to three long-time members of our community, Vanna Tessier, Max Foster, and Melle Huizinga. Their unique voices in our choir will be missed. I felt tremendous pride in the Stroll many times this past season and I’d like to share a highlight.
While testing the sound system for a Sunday Haven at Audrey’s Books, a stranger asked me what was happening. “Poetry Reading?” he asked, “I write poetry!” That fellow stayed, and although extremely nervous, shared a lovely poem he’d just written, at the open mic. When finished, he was met with applause and smiles that carried him back to his chair. He had just received the overwhelming support typical of a Stroll welcome. It is my hope that he will accept the invitation to join our community, but if he doen’t he will always have that moment of validation; that moment when he was heard. I’ve never felt more proud of our family.
One more feeling, simply one of joy. We welcomedover twenty first-time readers at the Poet’s Haven open mic this year. That’s a lot of affirmation for new poets regardless of age or ability.
What we do, we do well my friends, and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings us!
Yours in verse, John Leppard
2020 ANNUAL REPORTS EDMONTON STROLL OF POETS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Another wonderful poetry season is coming to a close and as we stand at the threshold of our
30th year of operation I marvel anew at the power of poetry and poets. Certainly, that power
would not manifest without the strength and determination of our many volunteers who sustain
its governance and manage our highly successful Poet’s Haven Reading Series. It has been my
absolute to work with an amazing group of people including the Stroll board and associates, our
administrative assistant Ellen Kartz and anthology editor Deborah Lawson. Their unwavering
support and commitment to the health and welfare of the Stroll and its membership are the heart
and soul of our organization.
This year the board bids farewell to our friend Marco Melfi, who has served as vice-president for
six years. In that capacity he has acted as my sounding board on many occasions. His honesty
and support have been of such immense value to the Stroll. Marco has also served in the
capacity of Haven coordinator all of those six years and under his guidance we modernized the
sign-up process, altered the floor plan at the Upper Crust to accommodate more seating, and
have seen our average nightly attendance go from 38 to 50. But that wasn’t all that he did. He
also served as website manager and communications coordinator, developing our presence on
social media. When the bord decided that the Stroll should further extend its arms to the
community, Marco took the lead on our exciting Outreach and Development Committee. We are
so grateful for Marco’s dedication and commitment to the Stroll of Poets and wish him all the
very best in his new leadership and poetic pursuits.
To all who volunteered their time this past season to support the Stroll and the Poet’s Haven
Thank You, so very much. Every contribution is of value and tremendously appreciated!
Yours in verse,
John Leppard
2021 ANNUAL REPORTS EDMONTON STROLL OF POETS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Greetings friends,
Recently, I witnessed the return of a pair of Canada geese to my neighbourhood. Their
distinctive, joyful call and majestic presence filled my heart with hope. This winter has certainly
been a dark one in so many ways. Last spring, circumstances required that we examine
innovative ways to keep our community informed and engaged. Our leadership group and
membership recognized the growth opportunities inherent in these challenges. Your
commitment to sustaining the heartbeat of poetry has not wavered and I am proud of your
courage and contributions.
Our Poet’s Haven reading series found a new home online. Thanks to Janis Dow and the Haven
team, we have been able to provide a space for poets from across North America to share their
verse in a respectful and supportive virtual atmosphere. We dearly miss the friendly confines of
the Upper Crust Café, but are well situated to continue with this format until safe to do so. A
huge note of thanks to Lisa Mulrooney for her patient instruction in the finer points of Zoom
Management.
The 2020 anthology made its way into our hands thanks to the tireless efforts of our stalwart
editor Deborah Lawson and her team of volunteers. She offered time, energy, and lovely front
yard to insure that we had a safe and friendly way to acquire our copies. We are so fortunate to
have someone as passionate and dedicated managing this worthy publication.
We are in a sound position financially, due in large part to your generosity as members. You
truly understand the value of what the Stroll seeks to do and your contributions help significantly
in this regard. Many thanks to our fiscal wizard, Alice Major, for keeping us solvent and secure.
The year ahead will be an interesting one. We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary with
some special events. The pandemic continues to create uncertainty as to how and where we
may be able to commune, yet one thing remains certain. We will continue to find ways to
celebrate poetry and poets in the same spirit that started our community flame burning thirty
years ago.
In closing, I would like to say that it has been an honour to serve as your president. I think I fell
in love with the Stroll the first time I attended an event. It was definitely love at first mic. Having
the opportunity to work with other dedicated leaders these past few years has been very
rewarding. Thank you for placing your trust in me and thank you for being the amazing
supportive community you will always be.
Yours in verse,
John Leppard
2024 ANNUAL REPORTS EDMONTON STROLL OF POETS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
This past year the Stroll of Poets has continued to fulfill and expand upon traditional goals and activities valued by our society members. At the same time, I am pleased to say that our board has adapted to ongoing progress and changes as well, even starting with a new president and vice president. In so doing we have managed to increase our presence in the Edmonton community and therefore widen our audience as well as increase participation in the Stroll of
Poets.
While we have continued this year with in person Haven Reading events at The Upper Crust Café and Audrey’s Bookstore and, in fact, have already surpassed attendance levels of the last several years, we have also held one Haven at Home Reading event and have another scheduled at the end of the season! So, via the zoom platform, we have re-established connections with several poets whom we have been unable to see or hear since the restrictions of Covid limited us to utilizing the zoom gatherings in the first place. The occasion, near the end
of 2023, was an opportunity welcomed by everyone to reconnect with each other. We continue to see ever-increasing numbers of new visitors and first-time readers at our Haven events which is a testament to the efforts of our communications committee and the welcoming atmosphere developed by our members.
Thanks to our outreach endeavors, and in part to our communications team, over this past year the Stroll has successfully engaged with and collaborated with other organizations to stage poetry reading events throughout Edmonton. Poets from the Stroll have read to audiences in Spirit of Hope United Church, Age-Friendly Edmonton events and several senior residences, and Allendale Community. A return to the Edmonton Poetry Festival was also celebrated with a thoroughly enjoyable and successful Blinks event at the Aviary (thanks go to the hard-working Blinks committee).
Our communications team has evolved the Facebook page and grown its membership, created an Instagram account, and reached out through press articles and online event calendars with CKUA Radio and Taproot Edmonton. The accomplishments of our Land Acknowledgement Committee have been significant over the past year and its goals continue to increase in scope and the results within our Haven and board meetings are also welcomed.
The wonderfully documented journey of the Stroll of Poets was loaded into the history archives on our Stroll website and is now available for all members to view. The project was part of the 30th anniversary of the Stroll and officially launched with a fundraising event last June. Many thanks to Ellen Kartz for helping the Stroll with this project.
Moving from history to future directions grew from that archive launch to now include the survey being distributed via our Newsletter and during this AGM. Many thanks to Kayleigh and Alice for believing in this project and wholeheartedly driving it in an attempt to define our desires for future Stroll initiatives. Our board hopes that you will be as excited as we are about the possibilities for involvement and leadership. Another developing project our board is proud of is the evolvement of the Land Acknowledgement chapbook collection into an endorsed published book complete with illustrations.
As for another change you are all most likely aware of now, our long time WGA assistant, Ellen Kartz, has decided to seek other opportunities. We thank her for her varied and significant contributions and wish her well. Our board is very pleased to be developing a working relationship with Christyn Carter, who was hired as her successor. Along with Christyn the board is creating a new domain for the Stroll complete with a Google Workspace account which makes all of the features of Google mail, Forms, Docs, Meet available for our use. This will create a common location, with easier access, to store all of our mail, and documents, etc. To keep up with these changes, many procedures and documents have been updated accordingly. I wish to thank Trudy Grienaur and Dan Knauss for their efforts in leading the 30 – 30 challenge and Gary Garrison and Don Perkins for their roles in bringing us the Prime 23 and Pure Gold poetry prompt activities and all Stroll members for their loyalty and participation. Thanks go also to Deborah Lawson for her continued fine work in producing our yearly anthology and to our financial team over this past season: Alice Major, Ivan Sundal, Trudy Grienauer, and Manny Blosser.
I also want to express a very sincere thank you to John Leppard and Janis Dow Durnin for the mentorship and ongoing guidance they have provided me and to the members of our board of directors, who have divested much time and energy in serving our poetic community and supporting me this past year.
Max Vandersteen
President
2025 ANNUAL REPORTS EDMONTON STROLL OF POETS SOCIETY
Once again over the past year the Stroll of Poets Society has continued to grow in membership, Haven attendance, outreach involvement, and scope of development. It has been wonderful to witness the crowds and many new faces at the Haven, the participation in and turnout to our Fresh Verse production this year, and the input of Stroll members in our committees and events over the season.
The members of the Board of Directors have participated in numerous endeavours over this past season and accomplished a great deal. The achievements include administrative upgrades improving our online mail services, social media platforms, and restructuring of our board committees. The advice and direction of our WGA Administrative Assistant, Christyn Carter, was instrumental in completing these enhancements.
It has been a very rewarding experience to be a part of the Stroll of Poets Society Board of Directors this year. The members of this year’s board have continually responded to all of these changes by evolving the roles and methods of creating and promoting opportunities to participate in activities within the Stroll and also in community events. Growing from the input of ideas from the “Looking Ahead” workshops of the previous year, there has been a significant effort to promote and accept more involvement of Stroll members in committee involvement, planning, promotion, and participation in events, as well as input into direction of the board and the future of the society. Not as obvious has been the updating of documents and procedures outlining the change in roles, methods of operation, and calendar of events. Many thanks to Kayleigh Cline and Alice Major in assisting me in this ongoing process. It is my hope that these efforts and changes have improved the experience of being a member of the Stroll for everyone.
A reflection of this cooperative work between board members and members at large has been the successful production of Poets Re-Imagine Canada, A Primer for a Land beyond Acknowledgements. With support of the Board of Directors, board members Naomi McIlwraith and Leslie Dawson, along with Stroll members Gary Garrison and Janis Dow Durnin, collaborated and put in many hours to produce this instructive and evocative anthology which is now available to the public for perusal and education. Sincere thanks to the hard work of everybody involved in this project which is a milestone for the Stroll.
The participation of the Stroll board ,along with other members, in the collaborative Stroll of Poets retro event staged by the WGA in Calgary last fall was also a great accomplishment that was terrific for the board to witness and also for all to take part in. Another example of this outward reach is the planning taking place to produce a community event, besides the traditional Blinks, complete with an associated chapbook to take place during the2025 Edmonton Poetry Festival.
I would also like to express thanks to Stroll members Trudy Grienauer, Gary Garrison, and Don Perkins for their diligence in continuing to organize and deliver poetic prompts for our members participating in the 30-30, Pure Gold, and Lab 25 writing workshops. Further appreciation goes to Deborah Lawson for continuing to compile, edit, and produce our yearly Anthology. To all other new and returning members of the Stroll of Poets, thank you for your continued loyalty and hopefully your engagement with the organization has been fruitful and rewarding.
Respectfully submitted by Max Vandersteen