The 905 Road Show Recap: 2015 Edition

Thank you to everyone who attended, participated in, or partnered with the 905 Road Show. This year’s Road Show brought us to Markham, Brampton, and Mississauga.

The series kicked off in Markham on November 7, at the Varley Art Gallery in partnership with Markham Public Library. The evening was brimming with talent and powerful poetry readings from Anna Yin, Sheniz Janmohamed, Arina Kharlamova, and Belinda Kwan. The Real Sun opened the event with a soulful keyboard performance.

Sylvia Chan gave a heartfelt presentation on what inspired her to create visual art and how to inspire others, and Meghan Swaby closed the evening with a dramatic reading from her upcoming play, Venus’ Daughter.

The event was seamless with many thanks going to Omar Khafagy, who took a break from rehearsing The Lady in the Red Dress at McMaster University to host the evening.

The next stop on the Road Show was Sheridan College’s Davis campus in Brampton on November 25.

Award-winning author Ian Williams hosted the creative cabaret which featured thought-provoking musical performances by The Real Sun and Lalo Moreno; dynamic readings from Pages on Fire’s Catia Mendes and Renee McPhee, Sheridan College’s Jennifer Chambers and Alicia Morris; and Mississauga’s poet laureate Anna Yin. Local student artists Brian Roppel and Connie Choi illustrated the evening as it unfolded.

Last but certainly not least, the Road Show headed off to the Art Gallery of Mississauga for its final stop of the year on November 26.

The event opened with a powerful vocal performance by The Real Sun. Sheniz Janmohamed was next to take the stage reading from her books Firesmoke andBleeding Light. DD mentee Pratap Reddy read from his upcoming novel, Weather Permitting, which will be published by Guernica Editions in the spring. The Ink Movement’s Chelsea Tao and poet Anna Yin closed the evening with evocative poetry readings. The event was hosted by the lively and charismatic Wali Shah, a local poet and musician.

The Road Show will be back in 2016 for one more stop in Black Creek. To stay informed about all the latest DD news and events, sign up for our newsletter.

For more pictures of this year’s 905 Road Show, head over to our Facebook page.

We hope to see you next year!