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‘Rude poems are so much funnier with an accent,’ says poet

Spoken word poets visiting Hillside Coffee on July 19
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A pair of spoken word performers based in New Zealand are touring to Victoria next week for their “A Pin in the Map Live Poetry Tour” performance.

Poets Liz Breslin and Laura Williamson bring their show to Hillside Coffee and Tea (1633 Hillside Ave, across from Hillside mall) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 19. Admission is free.

Williamson was raised in B.C. and Breslin in the U.K. Their tour thrives on the small stage from bookshops to bars in B.C.

Williamson actually has family connections on Pender Island, where the two will perform the day after their July 19 show.

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“Pender is one of those special places on Earth I’ve been lucky to visit often and I can’t wait to perform there,” Williamson said.

Expect a satirical eye on the here and now from the two. They crafted their show back in New Zealand, where they toured writers’ festivals, pubs, bookstores andbike shops. From there, they’ve grown an easy on-stage relationship withplenty of pertinent and poetic banter, they said.

One audience member told them after one of their recent performances that, “Rude poems are just so much funnier in an English or Canadian accent,” they said.

The show evokes a range of emotions that sometimes leave the audience quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

There’s also tears and belly laughs, with plenty of thoughts provoked.

Williamson is the co-writer of The Blue Moments Project song and spoken word cycle and is also the former editor of Spoke, a national New Zealand mountain bike magazine.

Her first book, Bike and Beyond: Life on Two Wheels in Aotearoa, New Zealand, is out now.

Breslin’s first collection of poems, Alzheimer’s and a Spoon, was published by Otago University Press in 2017 and listed as one of the NZ Listener’s Top 100 books. She also writes plays, stories, reviews, articles and a fortnightly column – Thinking Allowed – for the Otago Daily Times.

Breslin and Williamson are also performing on Pender Island, Saturday, July 20, 2 p.m. at Talisman Books & Gallery (a reading with poet Kate Braid).

reporter@oakbaynews.com