The next Electric Mermaid live reading event at Char’s Landing in Port Alberni will feature rhymester Peter Paul Van Camp.
Van Camp has been characterized in various ways: “a throwback to an earlier era,” “an escapee from the groves of academe” and even “a lost calf, bawling in an unforgiving wilderness.”
To such portrayals, Van Camp says “These may or may not be strictly accurate, but the truth is, I just can’t help myself when people gather and the reading of poetry is even a remote possibility.”
Raised in small-town Ohio, Van Camp immigrated to Montreal in the sunset of his teens and there began his coffee house apprenticeship. This opened the door to national touring and folk festivals and the publication of two books: The Better Poems of Peter Paul Van Camp (1978) and When My Grandmother Cleans My Room, and A Good Five Dozen Other Poems & One Recipe For Cornmeal Mush (2017). Now entering his sixth decade on the rostrum, Van Camp’s motto has been and remains, “My best effort today, and better luck next time!”
Electric Mermaid will take place on Wednesday, March 29 at Char’s Landing. With host and emcee Derek Hanebury’s literary guidance, feature Peter Paul Van Camp and a host of authors through the open mic, this evening promises to keep poetry and prose fans engaged. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. See www.charslanding.com/events for more information.