POP! After Hours, will be featuring an Outdoor Movie Night & an Intimate Evening of Poetry at Lot 19!

End the summer and start the fall on a high note as our POP! After Hours series takes over Lot 19 with two unique and enriching experiences. Mark your calendars for September 5th and September 12th for a celebration of film and poetry in a vibrant urban setting, surrounded by your community!

We will be hosting one last outdoor movie night on September 5th!

After the success of this year’s Summer Movie Nights, Downtown Van has decided to add one more film to wrap up the outdoor cinema season, but this time in a more intimate venue with an indie film flair! Join us at Lot 19 (855 W Hastings) on September 5th, for a special screening of the critically acclaimed indie film Past Lives. We’ll have activations, entertainment, vendors, and games starting at 5 pm, and the film will be starting at sunset, around 7:45 pm. Mink Chocolates will be hosting a barbecue and selling popcorn on site.

As Lot 19 is a designated Drinking in Public Plazas site, attendees are welcome to bring their own drinks, enjoy take-out from local businesses, socialize, have a picnic, and enjoy the urban outdoors.

Nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and winner of the top Independent Spirit Award, Past Lives was inspired by Korean-Canadian director Celine Song’s immigrant experience, you can watch the trailer here!

An Intimate Evening of Poetry will be taking place on September 12!

Whether you want to join a community poetry writing workshop, register for an open mic spot, or just listen to the local poets on stage, this event is for you as we will transform Lot 19 into a haven for poetic expression and community connection!

Schedule

5:00 – 6:30 PM: Community Poetry Writing Workshop

This workshop is run by Christine Bissonnette  and is free for anyone who wants to take part in it! The focus of the workshop is to reflect on your relationship to being witnessed when expressing your voice or gifts, and then to write a poem that captures your experience. Engage in meaningful dialogue, explore and acknowledge your ideas and creativity, and connect with others through shared writing. You can think of the poetry you write during this workshop as a time capsule — capturing your experience now, to be returned to later whenever it’s needed. No prior experience with writing poetry is necessary to participate, all are welcome! Pens and paper will be provided, but if you have a notebook and pen you love to write with please feel free to bring them.
7:10 – 7:30 PM: Open Mic Registration
These open mic spots are open to anyone, but if you wrote a poem during the earlier workshop, you are enthusiastically encouraged to now practice being witnessed by your community, and step onto the stage to share your poem from 7:30 – 8:30 PM. You will be supported wholeheartedly! Or come back and join us at the same place to listen to local poets on stage, who will be sharing their poetry on this same theme.
6:30 – 7:30 PM: Enjoy Food, Drinks, and Activities
While we turn Lot 19 into a stage, enjoy some food, drinks, and various activities around the lot, including a fun poetry-inspired activation with New Westminster’s fifth and youngest Poet Laureate, Elliott Slinn.
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Poetry Performances
For our main event of the night, join us for an intimate evening of poetry featuring six local poets on stage, who’ll be sharing poetry on a very special theme: their relationship to being witnessed in the expression of their strengths and gifts. We believe the art of poetry can help connect us and hope you will leave this event with a rejuvenating sense of belonging!
Join us at these events to foster a sense of community and connection through film and poetry, at Lot 19!