Urban Legends Poetry Collective

09/28/2026

Urban Legends is back for another season of Poetry Slams! Join us for the 2026-2027 Season Opener featuring Just Jamaal ThePoet.

📅 Friday, October 16, 2026
📍 Rooster’s Coffeehouse, Carleton University
⏰ Doors 7:30PM | Show 8:00PM
🎫 Open Mic & Slam Sign-Up at the door
💵 $15 (suggested donation; no one turned away due to lack of funds)

Accessibility: Step-free access. 4th floor with elevator access. Accessible and inclusive washrooms. Alcohol-free space. Face masks available as needed. Pay-What-You-Decide tickets.

We are delighted to open our 17th season honouring our roots by taking it back to Carleton campus and featuring one of our previous stewards, Just Jamaal ThePoet.

Jamaal Amir Akbari, also known as JustJamaal ThePoet or JAAWORD, is an award-winning poet, performer, songwriter, recording artist, arts educator, mentor and creative entrepreneur. Ottawa’s 2017–2019 Poet Laureate, Jamaal has spent more than two decades using poetry and performance as tools for storytelling, education, mentorship and community building. His work as an artist educator earned him the Ontario Arts Foundation’s Outstanding Artist Educator Award in 2016, and he served as Carleton University’s Artist-in-Residence from 2019–2020.

Stay tuned to hear more about our awesome feature! Learn more about him at Jamaal Amir Akbari 🫡

09/17/2026

What's better than poetry? A whole season of poetry!

Here is your first look at our upcoming season, which begins on October 16.

Features, show details and more coming soon!

07/24/2026

Join us for an open mic with a feature performance by the wonderful Kay Kassirer!

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

Sign up for the open mic at the door. Poets who sign up to perform are not required to buy a ticket.
Accessibility: Step-free access. Accessible and inclusive washrooms. Alcohol-free space. Face masks required and available as needed. Pay-What-You-Decide tickets.

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 blue background. Yellow leaves and translucent topographical linework surround a circular portrait of Kay. At the bottom of the graphic is the Urban Legends logo.]

07/06/2026

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.