Famous Last Words Newwest
Famous Last Words: is a spoken word poetry comedy show that involves poets participating in six rounds of a faux competition where they ‘compete’ in a series of poetry related events that are in turn, ‘judged’ by our host (with input from Uni the Unicorn and our audience).
This episode entitled Sunlight will be Sun themed and will be hosted by our resident solar eclipsetist, Sunny McGarragle and will feature Aiden Chafe, Aaron Hunter, Kay Fraser, Sonya Littlejohn, Steve Miller and Uni the Unicorn.
Famous Last Words New West: Sunlight
Wednesday October 14th
Centennial Lodge
Queens Park
Doors 6:30 PM
Show 7:00 PM
There is no cover charge but donations are accepted.
The tickets for this show are free (thank you @artsnewwest , @tricitiespoetry, @eventmags @canadianpoets and @royalcitylit ) but I encourage everyone who wants to attend to book your tickets through our zeffy page to guarantee your seat.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/famous-last-words-new-westminster
Winner of the ONLY POEMS 2025 Poet of the Year Prize, Aidan Chafe is the author of three collections of poetry, including Soft Wolf, forthcoming from Gordon Hill Press in 2027. His poems have appeared in Contemporary Verse 2, The Ex-Puritan, EVENT, The Fiddlehead and PRISM international. He lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver, BC).
Aaron Hunter is a poet, performer and visual artist He is an indigenous, transgender man, who explores his identity through art. He is the Artistic Director of Tri Cities Poetry, an arts organization that runs poetry open mics and other performing arts themed events. He has published 2 books one being a collection of local poets called “Brave Voices” (May 2025) and a collection of his poetry titled the “Archives” (December 2024).
Winner of the ONLY POEMS 2025 Poet of the Year Prize, Aidan Chafe is the author of three collections of poetry, including Soft Wolf, forthcoming from Gordon Hill Press in 2027. His poems have appeared in Contemporary Verse 2, The Ex-Puritan, EVENT, The Fiddlehead and PRISM international. He lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver, BC).
Kay Fraser is an award winning spoken word poet, published writer, educator and wellness practitioner. With a commitment to healing, liberation and decolonization, her works strikes a balance between individual musings and social commentary; navigating the experiences that make, shape and break us as individuals and as a whole. Kay marries her passion for wellness, movement and play with inquiry and creativity, and offers performances and integrative programs through a holistic, trauma-informed lens. Since 2008, she has had the opportunity to teach and perform across Turtle Island, representing both Toronto and Burlington at national competitions, and has shared the stage with artists including: d’bi young, Carlos Andrés Gómez and Theresa tha Songbird.
Sonya Littlejohn is a community capacity building consultant and poet living, working and playing in the unsurrendered lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, Tsleil-Waututh: Territories of diverse indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Born in Secwe̓pemc lands in Williams Lake band territory, Sonya grew up with the deer, the ants, mosquitoes, moss and evergreens. Her poems come from the depths of the heart that many fear to tread and her driving force is bemusement and wonder.
Steve Miller is a spoken word artist, slam poet, storyteller, performer, workshop creator/facilitator, singer(he thinks), musician (nope but I still try), renaissance handy person(who identifies as a man-kinda). He currently lives and works on the
unceded and ancestral territories of the Qayqayt First Nation, the first people of this land, and the shared traditional territories of other Coast Salish peoples, including the Musqueam, Kwantlen, Kwikwetlem, Tsleil-Waututh, and Katzie nations.
Sunny McGarragle is a poet, storyteller, teacher, performer and event producer from the republic of East Vancouver. He is the founder of Death Rides a Unicorn, The Vancouver Story Slam, The Canadian Individual Poetry Slam and the Vancouver International Poetry Festival (now entitled Verses). He has performed and read his work from Dublin to Denver, from Moose Jaw Saskatchewan to Madison Wisconsin. He is super excited to host this show and to showcase these great talents.
Uni the Unicorn is the antithesis of Death. Uni is joy and love, buoyant and distracting. Most of the time, Uni has chocolate and bubbles to share.