Choice voice

Q: What do you call a six-day bilingual potpourri dedicated to “spoken word in all its guises?”

A: The brand-new Voices of the Americas Festival. English-language events begin on Wednesday, February 27. First up that day is a roundtable discussion at 2:30 p.m. at Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent). Hosted by Concordia literary guru Jason Camlot, it features Normand Guilbault, Catherine Kidd, Ian Ferrier and Geneviève Letarte debating how wordsmiths and musicians collaborate in performance. Next, sign-up’s between 4:30 and 5 p.m. for an open mic at the Sergent-Recruteur (4650 St-Laurent), hosted by Streeteaters editor Paula Belina and Wednesday’s Child series organizer Larissa Andrusyshyn. At 8 p.m., the cabaret at La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) features theatrics with Patrick Goddard and Laura Mitchell, emerging talents Mia Brooks and Kaie Kellough, and storytellers Mike Burns and Bob Bourdon. The cabaret costs $7, but all other events are free. The festival continues until March 3. Info: www.fva.ca. :

–Vincent Tinguely