And so it begins. The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word kicked off last night with a high energy showcase featuring two fantastic west coast poets, Sheri-D Wilson and Fernando Raguero, and an open mic where spoken word artists from across the country let loose and had some fun before three nights of intense competition.

I've decided that I need to invest in a new camera (or at least learn how to use mine) because I can't seem to figure out how take photos in the dark. Which does mean that I don't have any good photos for you, but I'll do my best to take some during the rest of the weekend's festivities. In the meantime, there's some low budget audio at the bottom of this post.

As the poets came in to register, Sheri-D Wilson kicked off the night with a set about panties and pasties, followed by poems by Fernando Raguero that exposed us to his landlord's penis and Matthew Glick's anal fissures. And that was just the start. Over twenty other poets (including yours truly) graced the stage to spit some silliness and serenity to bring the CFSW to a roaring start.

If you couldn't make it last night, be sure not to miss out today. The day kicks off with an open mic at Trane Studios at noon, followed by workshops on the various aspects of spoken word throughout the day and NOW's Social Justice League Showcase at 3pm. The slams begin at Trane at 8pm, so do come out and cheer on the two (yes, there are now two) Toronto teams.

I can assure you that this will be anything but normal, but still will be lots of fun. After all, as Krystle so eloquently put it last night, "normal is just a setting on a washing machine."

For now, enjoy a small audio clip from Fernando Raguero's poem entitled "Socks."

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