Free Verse brings the voices of incarcerated writers to the Vancouver community through a public presentation of their writing in an effort to expand the literary community, build empathy, and leverage the power of storytelling to instigate change. Free Verse is a project of Pandora’s Collective. The Free Verse reading at Word is supported by the City of Vancouver’s Communities and Artists Shifting Culture (CASC).
Works read by: Governor General’s Award Finalist Eddy Boudel Tan, award-winning spoken word poet Lindi Nolte, Word’s Guest 2SLGBTQIA+ Curator Nicola Harwood, and Patrick Keating.
Location: Room C440, UBC Robson Square
Moderator: Kaile Shilling
Readers: Eddy Boudel Tan, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut (Penguin Random House Canada) | Nicola Harwood, Flight Instructions for the Commitment Impaired (Caitlin Press) | Lindi Nolte, Barefoot and Awestruck (Naledi Publishing House) | Patrick Keating
About The Moderator
Kaile Shilling
K.L. graduated from SFU’s Writers Studio; she’s published in Tahoma Literary Review, SAD Magazine, Journal of Religion and Film, and Pulp Literature. She's the Program Director of Free Verse, where she teaches creative writing classes in prison. Star Trek TNG is comfort viewing because she believes the future will be awesome and will include aliens speaking in poetry.
About The Readers
Eddy Boudel Tan
Eddy Boudel Tan writes fiction that isn't easily defined. His latest novel, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, was a finalist for the Giller Prize and was named one of the best books of 2025 by The Globe and Mail. His earlier novels, After Elias and The Rebellious Tide, were shortlisted for the Edmund White Award and the Ferro-Grumley Award, helping him earn the title of Rising Star by Writers' Trust of Canada in 2021. His short stories can be found in Joyland, Yolk, and various literary journals and anthologies. He lives in Vancouver with his husband where he's currently writing his fourth novel while being distracted by the birds outside his balcony. Follow Eddy on Instagram (@eddyautomatic) and at eddyboudeltan.com.
Nicola Harwood
Nicola Harwood is an interdisciplinary artist and writer. Their plays, performances and installation projects have been produced and exhibited in Canada, Europe and the US. Nicola often works in collaboration with other artists and has facilitated many art, writing and theatre projects in communities. They are grateful to live on the ancestral, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations also known as Vancouver, Canada.
Lindi Nolte
Lindi Nolte is a South African-Canadian spoken word poet, storyteller, Tedx speaker, educator, and mother. Lindi’s journey into poetry started in 2015 at Cafe Deux Soleil’s Poetry Slam where she quickly journeyed her way to one of Vancouver’s favourite poets. In 2018, she was crowned Grand Slam Champion. As a poet, Lindi is deeply motivated by the connection we forge with ourselves and each other as we navigate the challenges and joys of the human experience. She lives in Vancouver and facilitates creative writing and spoken word workshops. Lindi’s debut poetry collection “Barefoot and Awestruck” explores the complexity of relationships, the healing power of nature, love and self-discovery.
Patrick Keating
Originally from Montreal, Patrick Keating is a graduate of Simon Fraser’s School for the Contemporary Arts and has been working as an actor in the Vancouver TV, Film and Theatre scene for the past thirty years. Some of the companies he has worked with include the Firehall, Neworld Theatre, Rumble Theatre, Mortal Coil, Pi Theatre, Touchstone, Headlines, I.T.P., Urban Crawl, and Main Street Theatre. He has been recognized with two Jessie Richardson Award Nominations. Patrick served three sentences in Federal Penitentiaries in Quebec and British Columbia. When he was in Matsqui Penitentiary in B.C., Patrick took courses that were offered first through the University of Victoria and then through Simon Fraser University. One of those courses was in the art and craft of the Theatre. While at a Halfway House in Vancouver (The Robson Centre), Patrick was accepted and enrolled into the Fine Arts Program at Simon Fraser. He earned a B.A. in Theatre studies, launching a career as a performer that has involved close to 60 TV and film productions and over 40 stage productions.
