Poets in Conversation

October 4, 2025

Poets in Conversation

Featuring Geoff Cook, Jim Johnstone and Shane Neilson

Saturday, October 4, 330pm
FREE Event. Donations welcomed and appreciated

Join us in the AX gallery on Saturday, October 4th at 3:30pm for an afternoon of poetry with three renowned Canadian poets who will share their work, creative journeys, and the inspiration behind their words.

Moderated by fellow poet Danny Jacobs, this panel will dive into the craft, process, and power of poetry. Whether you’re new to poetry or a longtime fan, this is a great chance to hear from voices shaping the scene.

This is a FREE event! Donations are welcomed and appreciated!

About the Poets

Geoff Cook’s poetry and translations have been widely published and anthologized. Postscript (Signal Editions) was shortlisted for the Alfred G. Bailey and Gerald Lampert Memorial awards. His versions of Rilke, Brecht, Heine and Goethe were collected in The Shape of Things (Frog Hollow Press) and Afterwords (Signal Editions). Raised in Nova Scotia and currently living in the Laurentians, Geoff taught English literature for over 25 years at John Abbott College.

Jim Johnstone is a Toronto-based poet, editor, and critic. He is the author of seven poetry collections, including The King of Terrors (Coach House Books, 2023). His most recent book is Bait & Switch: Essays, Reviews, Conversations, and Views on Canadian Poetry (Porcupine’s Quill, 2024).

Shane Neilson is a poet and physician from New Brunswick who is currently practising medicine in Guelph, Ontario. He won the Gwen L. Martin Memorial Award for Nonfiction this year. He will be reading from The Reign (Goose Lane Editions, 2025) and What to Feel, how to feel (Palimpsest Press, 2025).

Moderator – Danny Jacobs’s poems, fiction, reviews, and essays have been published in a variety of journals across Canada. His book of nonfiction, Sourcebooks for Our Drawings: Essays and Remnants (Gordon Hill Press, 2019), won the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Book Award for Nonfiction. His debut novel, The Ignis Psalter (The Porcupine’s Quill), came out in April 2025. Danny lives in Riverview, NB.

Poets in Conversation