The Nightingale

05/09/2026

🐉

Hello,

We wanted to re-iterate the fact that the inaugural Hummingbird Haiku Special has been postponed. This delay is due to an unusual set of circumstances that have made it impossible for us to convene on May 13th.

We are 100% committed to this project, and fully intend on hosting our event(s) at The Rooster. We'll keep you posted.

Thank you for your support!

- The Hummingbird team -

04/27/2026

🦉

We didn't announce it, but on top of hosting superstar Kathy Fisher (and Ken Davis), The Nightingale hosted a surprise operatic segment featuring mezzo-soprano Sophie May Healy and Wendy Nieuwenhuis who accompanied her on the piano. And they were super­cali­fragilistic­expiali­docious!! We owe a big thank you to 🏴‍☠️Alysson McKee (a.k.a., BIG AL) who helped us acquire these two gifted artists!

Their bios (Hire them!!):

🂡 Sophie is an interdisciplinary artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan/Edmonton. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Alberta and a certificate from Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Her creative practices include acting, writing, music, and visual art. Select performance credits include Hysteria’s House (marrow theatre), My Testimonial (Workshop West) Brick Sh*****se (fenceless theatre), The Prom (NUOVA), Helen (Trunk Theatre), All the Little Animals I Have Eaten (Shadow Theatre).

🂡 Wendy Nieuwenhuis is a pianist, organist, teacher and collaborative musician based in Edmonton. She currently serves as the music director at Highlands United Church in addition to her private teaching in both organ and piano. Wendy has performed recitals throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan and frequently collaborates with instrumentalists, churches and choirs as both a collaborative and solo artist. She holds a Masters of Music in Organ Performance from the University of Alberta as well as a Bachelor of Music and Church Music Diploma from The King's University. Her teachers have included Dr. Marnie Giesbrecht, Dr. Joachim Segger and Dr. Jacobus Kloppers. She has also studied abroad with Canadian organist Craig Humber in Vienna, Austria.

Future artistic collaborations will include professional ballet dancers, thespians, mind-readers, ex-convicts, and more...

It was a great turnout - mid 60s! Wonderful audience!! See you in mid to late July. We'll keep you posted!

Ugh... Don Key is back. It's the reason our photos are indeed an atrocious affront to art. The last photo (of the late David Brydges) is credited to Monica Eerie.

04/24/2026

🦉

We would like to thank 🏴‍☠️Kathy Fisher for alchemizing a whirlwind of words that mesmerized our audience. We would also like to thank 🏴‍☠️Ken Davis for accompanying her performance with magical notes that elevated our souls. 🂡✨🎶🌹🎶✨🂡

** We added a surprise operatic segment to prove Chalamet wrong. We will be adding more information in regards to this awe-inspiring performance within the next couple of days**

We would like to thank 🏴‍☠️Sophie May Healy, a remarkable classically trained mezzo-soprano who blessed our hearts with an aria titled "Voi che sapete". We would also like to thank her gifted classically trained accompanist, 🏴‍☠️Wendy Nieuwenhuis. Bellissimo!!💐🦉💐

We would like congratulate our legendary master of ceremonies, 🏴‍☠️Michael Gravel, for blessing us with the warm spirit of wonderment and fun!! 🎩✨🎩

We want to thank 🏴‍☠️Tammy, 🏴‍☠️Eva🏴‍☠️ and 🏴‍☠️Aleesha from The Kasbar (a lounge that is owned by Yiannis Taverna Greek Restaurant)! Support this venue!🌸

We would like to extend our gratitude to the many dedicated individuals who have, in their own capacities, assisted us in creating this here event.

The Edmonton Poetry Festival, with special nods to:
🏴‍☠️Alice Major
🏴‍☠️Steve Pirot
🏴‍☠️Alexis Marie Chute
🏴‍☠️Shyanne Duquette
🏴‍☠️Brooklyn Hollinger
🏴‍☠️Natasha Riddell
🏴‍☠️Brenda Gunn
🏴‍☠️Gabriel Munro

🏴‍☠️The Stroll (Kayleigh Cline, Max Vandersteen, Nisha Patel from the WGA)
🏴‍☠️Alan Demeule from Edmonton's Poetry Community page/tech support.
🏴‍☠️Alysson McKee (a.k.a., BIG AL)
🏴‍☠️Sheelagh Caygill (EPF Newsletter)
🏴‍☠️Blaine Boivert (CKXU _ NOT YOUR MOTHER'S POETRY)
🏴‍☠️Nicole Bodnaresk (Artist/brand expert who created our poster.)
🏴‍☠️Jason Lee Norman (WGA & Funicular Magazine.)
🏴‍☠️Sage Giroux (Turtle Island Collective)

🏴‍☠️Last, but not least, we want to thank all of our subscribers, and everyone that came out!! Thank you for your continued support!!

Our list does indeed include our alumni⚡️, all talented individuals who have contributed great value to our community.

🏴‍☠️Michael Gravel ⚡️
🏴‍☠️Daniel Poitras ⚡️(Turtle Island Collective)
🏴‍☠️David Brydges (RIP)⚡️
🏴‍☠️Patti Sinclair⚡️
🏴‍☠️Shima Robinson⚡️
🏴‍☠️Kim Mannix ⚡️
🏴‍☠️Marco Melfi⚡️
🏴‍☠️Bree Taylor ⚡️
🏴‍☠️Violette Coquette⚡️
🏴‍☠️Nancy Mackenzie⚡️

We'll back in July. We'll keep you posted!!

04/02/2026

🦉

**Updated poster.**

JJ, the worst social media coordinator in history, screwed up the dates! The next Nightingale will indeed be taking place on a Wednesday, not Thursday, April 22nd. Sorry for the inconvenience. We're not trying to spam you! And do read the story below. It's damn riveting!

You are all cordially invited to attend a fabulous open-mic soirée featuring Kathy Fisher, an indomitable dame whose occult poetry serves as a vade mecum that helps guide us mortals through the hidden passages of the human heart.

But first, a story:

Once upon a gibbous moon, Frown the Clown sat on an old rickety bench to read a downloaded book titled "A Room with a Moo". But his breathing was so loud, so stertorous, that it, along with his face, frightened all of the nearby animals.

A concerned citizen contacted the police who then decided to arrest him for animal cruelty! But before he was jailed, the arresting officer - an undiagnosed coulrophobic - emptied the contents of Frown's deep, deep, deep, deep pockets, discovering: a live rabbit, a watermelon, a copy of The Stroll's 2003 anthology, a miniature pinball machine, a phone number belonging "to a really, really, really hot Clowness rawr", a Costco hotdog, catnip, a bowling pin... And finally, the officer found a really cool glossy handbill of the next Nightingale featuring Kathy Fisher, a lawyer, who has since offered Frown the Clown, legal representation. Imagine that...

Ken Davis is a debonair multi-talented musician who'll accompany Kathy Fisher!

Our awesome master of ceremonies will be the legendary Michael Gravel!

A prime location for poetry readings, The Kasbar is an exotic lounge with a superb Greek Mediterranean menu and an equally excellent selection of spirits, ale, and wine. There will also be a great selection of non-alcoholic beverages.

Under the auspices of the stars, we dare you to partake in an exciting evening of comedy and drama. Come and forge new friendships, or mend old ones anew. But above all, come and sate your sense of adventure - come and have fun.

**Art Credit 🏴‍☠️Nicole Bodnaresk

03/21/2026

☘️

Hello everyone,

In spite of the weather, we hope you are all having a nice day.

We would like thank 🏴‍☠️Nancy Mackenzie for delivering an enchanting performance of mellifluous, meditative incantations that daubed each of our souls with a vivid myriad of mystical verse!! 🧚‍♀️✨🦉🎶🎶🎶🦉✨🧚‍♀️

We toast 🏴‍☠️Kathy Fisher, our jocose Master of Ceremonies, for providing us with yet another evening of revelry and fun! ☘️🌟🎩🌟☘️

We want to thank Tammy🏴‍☠️and Liv🏴‍☠️from The Kasbar (a lounge that is owned by Yiannies Taverna Greek Restaurant)!! Support this venue!! They support the arts!!💐

We would like to extend our gratitude to the many dedicated individuals who have, in their own capacities, assisted us in creating this here event.

Our list does indeed include our alumni⚡️, all talented individuals who have contributed great value to our community.

🏴‍☠️Saraswoti Lamichhane (Big hearted poet who helped us!!)
🏴‍☠️The Stroll (Kayleigh Cline, Max Vandersteen, with a special nod to Nisha Patel from the WGA)
🏴‍☠️Alan Demeule from Edmonton's Poetry Community page (and tech support)
🏴‍☠️Sheelagh Caygill (Edmonton Poetry Festival Newsletter)
🏴‍☠️Blaine Boivert (CKXU _ NOT YOUR MOTHER'S POETRY)
🏴‍☠️Nicole Bodnaresk (Artist/brand expert who created our poster)
🏴‍☠️Jason Lee Norman (Writer's Guild of Alberta and Funicular Magazine.)
🏴‍☠️Sage Giroux (Board member)
🏴‍☠️Monica Eerie (Photographer)
🏴‍☠️Stanislau Liubinski (Signs)
🏴‍☠️Last, but not least, we want to thank all of our subscribers, and everyone that came out!! Thank you for your continued support!!

🏴‍☠️Michael Gravel ⚡️
🏴‍☠️Daniel Poitras ⚡️(Also a board member)
🏴‍☠️David Brydges (RIP)⚡️
🏴‍☠️Patti Sinclair⚡️
🏴‍☠️Shima Robinson⚡️
🏴‍☠️Kim Mannix ⚡️
🏴‍☠️Marco Melfi⚡️
🏴‍☠️Bree Taylor ⚡️
🏴‍☠️Violette Coquette⚡️

Our next event featuring one Kathy Fisher will indeed be taking place on Wednesday, April 22nd! We'll keep you posted.

03/20/2026

Wild night! Great feature! Great audience! Great performers! Hit the mid 60s! Thank you Monica (Eerie)🏴‍☠️ for taking and sharing these shots! Great work! We honoured St. Paddy's day with Leprechauns, a rainbow, and an old fashion pat o gold (with lustre)

Send a message to learn more

03/16/2026

🍀

Hello everyone,

On Thursday March 19th, as you curse the weather along the way to Whyte avenue, look for this sign. It will lead you to The Kasbar (10444 82nd ave) where ex gratia, the telos of event-goers and organizers alike, will be in the service of humanity, by way of conjurings - the bailiwick of poets.

Doors open @6:30PM (not AM). The event is from 7-9:30PM (not AM)

However... It has indeed been an extremely long Winter, and though they'll back to resume their duties on the date of our upcoming event, desideratum, our sign is currently away on the swanky Island of Zazza Zazza. Oddly enough, they chose this destination, not to indulge in its beautiful beaches, but to patronize the local repertory theatre which produces the obscure works of Bad Ink, a notorious 18th century playwright who is credited with authoring "Bad Little Piggie" and "Little Piggy, What Have You done!?".

03/03/2026

Hello everyone,

On our one year anniversary, we at The Nightingale would like to welcome newcomers. We also want to remind you all that we are extremely grateful for your support!

In a cynical time of great uncertainty, our mission is to create a cool artistic environment for people of all backgrounds to indulge in evenings that will haunt their memories, forever. We want to attract eager audiences. We aspire to cultivate the careers of fellow artists. But above all, we want people to socialize; we want them to connect. After all, our time here is finite and we believe it is incumbent upon artists to lead the way forward as to make our lot on this realm, insightful, empathic, hopeful, more loving, magical, and fun (or at least liveable).

Through drama and comedy, and all else in between, we want to hear your testaments, stories, experiences, emotions, thoughts, opinions, and passions. However...

This is !THE MACE!.

Yes, it has its own exclamation marks.

!THE MACE! will be used on performers who go over the allotted time.

We're looking at (1 to 2 poems) under five minutes (max, not Mad Max). That includes intro, performance, and outro).

We welcome those who aspire to break the limits to consult with our (snotty) uppity management about scheduling a feature.

Unfortunately, because we're on a tight budget, we made this acquisition via a dodgy website, and now, every time we try to use it, !THE MACE! always misses its mark. 100% failure rate. Still, you never know...

The manufacturer is apparently based out of the tiny republic of Vogon.

Still, we'll have it propped up next to the stage to put the fear in would be offenders. So beware...

02/27/2026

☘️

“A Poet is a nightingale who sits in darkness, and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds; his auditors are as men entranced by the melody of an unseen musician, who feel that they are moved and softened, yet know not whence or why.”
― Percy Bysshe Shelley A Defence of Poetry and Other Essays

You are all cordially invited to attend a charming open-mic soirée featuring one Nancy Mackenzie, an inveterate spell-caster whose poetry is said to be a euphonious stairway into the heavens. But first, a story:

Most are unaware that Nostradamus had had an Irish cousin, a less famous reputed seer named Shamusstradamus who was known for predicting the outcomes of 20th century pie eating contests. His visions were always transcribed in the form of (terrible) limerick, for which he was ridiculed. One day, the Black Death swept into town, claiming his beloved wife. Grief stricken, he wrote what is now considered to be his greatest vision of all.

There will come a great poet named Nancy
That the hoards will line up to see
The Kasbar The Nightingale
On March 19th
It's the place and time where I'd like to be

Our magnificent master of ceremonies will be the alluring Kathy Fisher!

A prime location for poetry readings, The Kasbar is an exotic lounge with a superb Greek Mediterranean menu and an equally excellent selection of spirits, ale, and wine. There will also be a great selection of non-alcoholic beverages.

Under the auspices of the stars, we dare you to partake in an exciting evening of comedy and drama. Come and forge new friendships, or mend old ones anew. But above all, come and sate your sense of adventure - come and have fun.

**Art Credit 🏴‍☠️Nicole Bodnaresk (Hire them!)**