BC Poetry Tour Coming to Nelson on May 14th
By Contributor
Acclaimed BC poets Kevin Spenst and Rob Taylor, authors of nine poetry books between them, are touring through the Kootenays this May, with an event in Nelson at Notably, a Book Lover’s Emporium (454 Ward Street) at 7 p.m. on May 14th.
Both authors have just released new books, which they will read from at the event. Kevin Spenst’s A Bouquet Brought Back from Space (Anvil Press, 2024) explores the overlap of faith and imagination as twinned forces that sustain us through life and death, while Rob Taylor’s Weather (Gaspereau Press, 2024) records the first three years of his daughter’s life in a sequence of short poems written one per week.
“This is my second book tour through Nelson,” Spenst says.
“The first time in 2015, Nelson was one of 50 stops around the province. I’m only doing a handful of readings outside the Lower Mainland this time around. I guess you could say I’m returning to my favorite spots.”
“All my siblings grew up in the area,” adds Taylor, “and I spent my childhood traveling to the Kootenays frequently, so I’m excited to finally have the chance to tour a book in the region.”
Taylor notes that Nelson’s bookstores played a role in the writing of his new book.
“I visited Nelson with my wife and kids a few years ago, when I was in the thick of writing my new book, and after a day wandering up and down Baker Street I had collected half a dozen new haiku collections. Those books proved vital in pushing my own writing forward, so coming back to Nelson to release the book feels like a bit of a full-circle event.”
In addition to their books, Taylor and Spenst teach poetry at Simon Fraser University’s The Writer’s Studio and organize poetry events in the Lower Mainland, with Spenst running Vancouver’s Dead Poets Reading Series and Taylor coordinating Abbotsford’s Fraser Valley Writers Festival.
Both are excited to share what they’ve learned about the many forms and formulations that poetry can take.
After their event in Nelson, Spenst and Taylor will be continuing on to Rossland on the 15th, reading at Gold Rush Bookstore (2063 Washington Street).
The tour will conclude on May 16th with a reading in Kelowna. All events will be free and open to all.
You can learn more about all the tour dates at: https://kevinspenst.com/
