Provisional Plans:

Here are the provisional details of our plans for the Edmonton event, which are still evolving:

My son Kevin and I would be the MC's for the local event, which would have a very populist "open mic" character. His reading of The Red Deer at a local coffee house is accessible here:

http://cnserver0.nkf.med.ualberta.ca/misc/poetry/

The event would be held in the foyer of the University of Alberta TELUS Centre for Professional Development http://www.teluscentre.com/and catered by the Bagel Tree http://www.whyte-avenue.com/singles/bagel_tree.htm. It would be priced at a level approximately equal to the value of the food served with a price low enough so young people could afford to attend. The venue itself accommodates 150 people with potential spillover space elsewhere in the building.

We will arrange simple podium and mike with computers, data projectors, screens and simple lighting effects.  The evening would be recorded with the idea that the events would evolve and improve every year.

There would be choices in both menu and the length of time attendees stayed. Everyone would receive the Red Needles drink and Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, but it is not important that people actually like or ingest these things, just as on Robbie Burns night many people do not eat the haggis! The sense of community celebration, and a fun cerebral event would be the main attraction.

Photos © 1999 by Jarkko Arjatsalo
Los Angeles, June 1999. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2000-2001 by Leonard Cohen.
Reprinted with permission. Any other use forbidden.
Courtesy of Leonard Cohen Files