Urban Legends Poetry Collective

06/04/2026

05/02/2026

Join us for an open mic with a feature performance by our 2026 CIPS Representative, Dahlia Lesh!

😷 FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅 Fri, May 8
📍 The Origin
⏰ Doors 7:00 | Show 7:30
💵 Tickets at the door, PWYD (suggested donation: $10)

Link in bio for more details!

Sign up for the open mic at the door. Poets who sign up to perform are not required to buy a ticket.

[Image description: Image text reflected in caption. Graphic with a faded image of a crowd at a poetry slam on a bluebackground. Yellow leaves and translucent topographical linework surround a circular portrait of Dahlia Lesh. At the bottom of the graphic is the Urban Legends logo.]

04/16/2026

Join us for another edition of Truth to Power, a workshop series examining the intersections between wellness and collective liberation, and exploring how creative expression can be channeled as a means of enacting change, fostering dialogue, and disrupting systems of power and oppression.

This month’s workshop, Trance States for Poets, will be led by Tawhida Tanya Evanson.

😷 FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅 Fri, April 24
📍Origin Arts & Community Centre
⏰ 7:00 - 9:00PM
💵 Tickets at the door, PWYD (suggested donation: $10)

Can the revelations from meditation, hypnosis, breathwork or altered states of consciousness be expressed in verse? In this workshop guided by Tiohtià:ke/Montreal poet, novelist, multimedia artist and Ashiq Tawhida Tanya Evanson, we will engage with ancient contemplative practices to enter liminal space and capture the epiphanies there.

WHAT TO BRING: paper and pens; laptop; water bottle; yoga mat or pillow for sitting; comfortable clothing recommended

Link in bio for more details!

[Image description: Image text reflected in caption. Graphic with a faded image of a crowd at a poetry slam on a beige background. Red leaves and translucent topographical linework surround a circular portrait of Tawhida Tanya Evanson. At the bottom of the graphic is the Urban Legends logo.]



ULPC gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.

04/03/2026

Join Urban Legends Poetry Collective and The Other Hill for Scribblin’ in the Margins: Beyond the Binary, an slam and open mic event with signs ups open specifically to Two-Spirit, trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, and/or other gender-nonconforming identities. Everyone is welcome to attend. This event will feature Ottawa's own, Lukayo!

😷 FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅 Fri, April. 10
📍 The Origin
⏰ Doors 7:00 | Show 7:30
💵 Tickets at the door, PWYD (suggested donation: $10)

Link in bio for more details!

Sign up for the slam or open mic at the door. Poets who sign up to perform are not required to buy a ticket.

[Image description: Image text reflected in caption. Graphic with a faded image of a crowd at a poetry slam on a brown background. Yellow leaves and translucent topographical linework surround a circular portrait of [POET]. At the bottom of the graphic is the Urban Legends logo.]

03/07/2026

Join Urban Legends Poetry Collective for the return of the VERSeFest Invitational Poetry Slam (the first since 2021!) with a feature performance from Sheri-D Wilson.

Sheri-D Wilson (Mama of Dada) is an award-winning performer/author of 14 books, 4 short films, 3 plays, and 4 poetry & music albums. Her most recent work is a three-book one-story trilogy of speculative poetry entitled, The ONEIRONAUT, published by Write Bloody North. Her work has received many awards and honors including: The Order of Canada, Honorary Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa from Kwantlen University). She splits her time between Calgary & Van with her dog Willow.

😷 FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅 Thursday, March 26
📍 Club Saw
⏰ Show 7:00 SHARP
💵 Tickets $15 (Link in the bio)

Accessibility: Step-free access. Accessible and inclusive washrooms. Face masks required and available as needed.

03/04/2026

Join us for another edition of Truth to Power, a workshop series examining the intersections between wellness and collective liberation, and exploring how creative expression can be channeled as a means of enacting change, fostering dialogue, and disrupting systems of power and oppression.

This month’s workshop, Writing Beyond Oppression, will be led by Lady La Profeta

😷 FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅 Fri, Mar. 13
📍Origin Arts & Community Centre
⏰ 7:30 - 9:30PM
💵 Tickets at the door, PWYD (suggested donation: $10)

This poetry workshop explores how we confront state violence and legal injustice without being reduced to victimhood. Through guided writing, reflection, and collective sharing, participants will transform anger into clarity, dignity, and vision. Together, we will write beyond oppression and toward restoration — imagining justice not only as critique, but as creation.

This space centers pride, ancestral strength, and community wisdom, while honoring the truth of lived experience. Through guided poetry exercises, we will hold space for truth-telling while also cultivating language rooted in love, vision, and collective power. Participants will write from the perspective of the witness, the future ancestor, and the architect of change — shifting from reactive voice to generative voice.

This is a space to reclaim narrative, restore dignity, and imagine justice as something we actively shape.
Link in bio for more details and registration!

[Image description: Image text reflected in caption. Graphic with a faded image of a crowd at a poetry slam on a beige background. Yellow leaves and translucent topographical linework surround a circular portrait of Lady. At the bottom of the graphic is the Urban Legends logo.]

02/16/2026

Join us for another edition of Truth to Power, a workshop series examining the intersections between wellness and collective liberation, and exploring how creative expression can be channeled as a means of enacting change, fostering dialogue, and disrupting systems of power and oppression.

This month’s workshop, Recipes for Success, will be led by Vanessa Rotondo.

😷 FACE MASKS REQUIRED
📅 Fri, Feb. 27
📍Origin Arts & Community Centre
⏰ 7:00 - 9:00PM
💵 Tickets at the door, PWYD (suggested donation: $10)

Vanessa Rotondo (aka the V poet) is a writer, performer, and wellness coach who believes words can heal as much as food can. She runs Nurtiditions, supporting women through breast cancer with holistic nutrition and personalized cancer coaching, and she brings stories to life through poetry, performance, and community events. Whether sharing poems or plant-based recipes, Vanessa's work always feeds both body and soul.