Tear gas griots

By Vincent Tinguely

In what's turning out to be a scorchingly political year, the FTAA Summit in Quebec City already feels distant. To keep the issues and images fresh, Cumulus Press and CKUT are putting together a chapbook and CD package that'll include short essays, short fiction, photographs, spoken word recordings and sounds from the Quebec City protests. Local scribe and performer Kaie Kellough was at the Summit. "I drove a van of CÉGEP kids up there. I checked out the points where they were pulling down the fence and sucked in far too much tear gas." He'll have a chance to share his thoughts on what he saw when he MCs a benefit for the chapbook/CD project at Casa del Popolo next Thursday.

Former San Franciscan Randolph Polk, an alto sax player and spoken word artist, and Renaissance woman Belinda Ageda will join Kellough onstage. According to Kellough, Ageda's "a visual artist and she also does spoken word, and she's a folk singer." Other guests include activist Dexter X, personal and political griot Nah-ee-lah, wordsound duo Alex Boutros and Kaarla Sundström, Jason Selman, Mia Brooks, and Thoth Harris. At 4873 St-Laurent, Sept. 27, 9 p.m., $5 at the door.

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