Free verse agreements

by Vincent Tinguely

Montrealers heading to Quebec City to join the protests against the FTAA Summit will find some familiar spoken word faces pitching in on the cultural front. On Friday, April 20, poets combat corporate mind mush with the Free Verse Area of the Americas. The brainchild of Montreal poet Kaie Kellough, Kevin Angelo Hehir of Saint John's, and Toronto's Shawn Whitney, it starts at 8:30 p.m. in the café of CÉGEP Limoulou, 1300 8th Avenue, Quebec City.

On Saturday, April 21, the main protest march against the Summit takes place. When it winds down with a flurry of speeches and giant puppet processions adjacent to Quebec City's Colosseum, Montrealer Alexis O'Hara will be there to rally the troops.

"I'm looking forward to being in a massive convergence of people who all have a problem with being inveigled by the FTAA," said O'Hara, who'll be MCing the stage show. It includes Break Syndicale with Nico Beki, Monica Ferrer, Ann Theberge and Chilean singer Cello. The trilingual MC will indulge in a little verbal freestyling in English, French and Spanish. "Maybe I'll try to learn some Portugese by Saturday," O'Hara muses.

For those who can't make Quebec City, Heather McLeod unveils her very own anti-FTAA protest song (as featured on the SOS Humanité CD) at the season's final Hands On Hip Happening. Featuring Ian Ferrier, Norm Dionne and more, it's also a benefit for CKUT radio. Saturday April 21, 9 p.m., Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent), $6.

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