Stroll 30th Anniversary Chapbook

Help the Stroll celebrate 30 years of poetry! 

Submit your poem on the theme of “Strolling” to stroll30years@gmail.com by January 24th, 2022

What’s in the name: The Stroll of Poets
Celebrating Thirty Years!

By Leslie Dawson

The Stroll of Poets is not only a literary name:  a Stroll with poetry took place. Thirty years ago, at its organizational meeting, Doug Elves suggested the name Stroll of Poets because the meeting involved a stroll.  It began as an annual event where scores of poets and listeners strolled down Whyte Avenue, from bistro to bar, from bar to bookstore, poets speaking and listeners listening to poets reading their poetry.  

The Stroll became an annual event for nearly two decades, which occurred the first Sunday of October. The venues used by The Stroll included car dealerships, where one dealer claimed to have sold a car at the event.  Many poets claimed to have cut their poetry teeth reading to a Stroll audience. Poets, including Anne Gerard Marshall, read aloud for the first time during the Stroll.  Sixty-five poets read the first year, with at least two hundred in the audience, says Alice Major. Listeners voted on their favourite poets, declaring a winner each year. Afterwards, the multitudes continued to the No Bards Barred Bar, at the Canadian Legion.  Today’s Stroll activities are “relatively sedate,” says Major, admitting, “we were a lot younger then.”

The annual Stroll event was considerable work for a few organizers; as a result, The Stroll evolved into a weekly event, with many volunteers, at the Upper Crust Restaurant.  During Covid times, it transformed into a Zoom meeting called “Haven at Home.”   

Some poets asked for stroll synonyms to help them write their poem for this chapbook.  

While any interpretation of a stroll is possible, below are synonyms you might consider, hope they inspire a poem for the chapbook:

Footsteps, birthday walks, getting older, moving towards hope are some possible interpretations. The theme can be interpreted in a way that works for you, the poet.  It is a jumping off point. Walking certainly works. 

Or consider these:

1) the two men walked along the road deep in conversation

stroll, saunter, amble, wend one’s way, trudge, plod, hike, tramp, trek, march, stride, troop, patrol, step out, wander, ramble, tread, prowl, footslog, promenade, roam, traipse

stretch one’s legs, go for a walk, take the air

advance, proceed, move, go, make one’s way

mosey, pootle, yomp, perambulate

2) he walked the five miles into town

go by foot, go on foot, travel on foot, foot it, be a pedestrian, hoof it

3) she thanked him for walking her home

accompany, escort, guide, show, see, convoy, conduct, usher, marshal, lead, take, attend, chaperone, steer, herd, shepherd

However you interpret Stroll, we hope you’ll submit your poem by January 24th, 2022 to Laurel Sproule email: stroll30years@gmail.com  Use this email to ask any questions. 

FYI: 

Submission guidelines:

Please submit your poem in 12pt, Times New Roman font. In keeping with the 30-year theme please keep poems to 30 lines or less, and preferably able to be printed on one page. Chapbooks are small. Your consideration allows others to play. In addition, each line should contain no more than 60 characters and spaces.

(No bio is required, the poet retains copyright, the chapbook will have an ISBN number, and each contributor receives a copy of the chapbook. Help The Stroll of Poets celebrate 30 years with your words.)

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