So Many Voices: The 38th Edition of the Festival International de la Poésie de Trois-Rivières
by Julie Miller
Trois-Rivières’ International Festival of Poetry is just around the corner! The 38th edition of le Festival International de la Poésie de Trois-Rivières will get underway on September 30th, running for 10 days and encompassing two weekends until it closes on October 9th.
After a few difficult years marred by the pandemic, the festival is back like never before: there will be over 250 events both large and small and will feature 60 poets; including the return of poets from beyond Canada’s borders, such as France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, Germany, Australia, Morocco, and Wales.
Jocelyn Ann Girard Leblanc has attended the festival in many years past. She appreciates all the diversity of voices that you can hear at the festival, in so many different and unusual venues. It’s an opportunity to be exposed to a wide and diverse range of thoughts, styles, and approaches. “There are just so many points of view,” says Jocelyn. “You cannot expect to enter the mind of each poet – there are just too many! It’s just such an intriguing experience. It leaves you with so many questions and ideas to think about after.”
The poetry festival literally “takes over” the whole town for days, according to Jocelyn. There is poetry in the streets, in cafés, restaurants, and bars, for every meal of the day: breakfast, lunch, supper, not to mention snack time and cocktail hour. There are picnics and poetry walks; poetry and music events; and open mics. One day, some poets will be “stationed” at the tourist bureau to welcome tourists with poetry; there are even afternoon events for knitters, where you are invited to come and have a coffee and knit while you listen to poetry!
One of Jocelyn’s favourite parts of the poetry festival has always been the poetry clothesline, or “corde à poèmes.” In past years, there was a clothesline outside of City Hall that had poems instead of clothes hung up with clothespins; short works by both poets and non-poets - by regular people. This year, the “corde à poèmes” will exist in a few variations. The regular “line” will still be at City Hall, but it will feature poems by youth and seniors. A second line, called “Corde à poèmes Le Coeur de l’Ukraine” will be on Rue des Ursulines just in front of the art gallery, and it will feature inspiring poems by Ukrainian writers. A third line will be in Nicolet at the Musée des cultures du monde.
In the evenings at Café-Bar Zénob, you can take in a relaxed atmosphere with a glass of wine or beer while enjoying a wide range of poetry. “Even if you don’t like poetry but are the least bit curious about it, you can find a place to go – for lunch or dinner or drinks. It’s a really, really interesting festival,” says Jocelyn. “Even just walk around Trois-Rivières and read all the plaques of poetry on the walls of houses and in the old section of downtown. It’s fun.”
There is something for everyone and it’s a great opportunity to expand your horizons and go beyond the ordinary, everyday life, without leaving the city!
The festival features mostly French-language poets; however, this year’s bilingual poets to look out for are Jérôme Melançon from Saskatchewan, Beatriz Hausner from Toronto, and Welsh-English poet Zoe Skoulding. All three have translated the works of others and write their own original poems. To get to know Jérôme Melançon a bit better, listen to his interview on our podcast here; and the interview with Beatriz Hausner here. Listen to Beatriz reading from her work here . Zoe Skoulding’s website can be found here. A sample of Jérôme’s work is included below; in bonus episodes of the podcast, he reads and discusses the poems, Irregularities and Solidarité. Thank you to Jérôme Melançon and to the publishers above/ground press and Prise de parole for permission to reproduce the poems below. Visit the festival’s website here.
Irregularities
By Jérôme Melançon
so much infill on Spadina I can’t even see the trees
we drive two streets past where we used to live
the sun is so high
you wonder out loud where we should have lunch
I stare at houses; I’m not sure they were ever that silent
the kids still think of the carrousel
a whole other life
they could have for one unplanned afternoon
if we would just give their futures a chance to compete with ours
From Tomorrow’s Going to Be Bright, 2022 (above/ground press)
Solidarité
Par Jérôme Melançon
Le monde m’envahit en commençant par les angles,
par l’espace entre les empreintes pis les ongles
là où ma négligence ronge ma chair.
J’me décontamine en changeant d’terre.
Entre le recto pis l’verso des incantations.
Y’ faut qu’j’laisse la terre m’apprendre ses limites.
Ma langue peut pas combattre.
Cimentée à force de traîner aux marges d’l’asphalte
Suspendue à c’qui reste en moi d’notre imagination.
From En d’sous d’la langue, 2021 (Prise de parole)
