JULY 3RD TO 14TH: STEAL THIS FESTIVAL THE SCREAM LITERARY FESTIVAL RAMPS UP THE COPYRIGHT DEBATE Copyright. Collaboration. Appropriation. The Scream Literary Festival in its 16th year of innovative performances, panels and unique events has officially run out of ideas. Instead of getting bogged down in novelty, we're begging, borrowing and stealing this festival as we highlight issues of influence among artists, musicians and countercultural movements. From July 3rd to 14th we upload a series of poetry performance events, workshops, music, food and thought that will challenge notions of what is appropriate. Opening night features established writers such as Griffin Award winners Ken Babstock, Kevin Connelly and nominee Priscila Uppal reading the work of up-and-coming younger poets. On July 5th, the book-length dinner reading returns with Gwendolyn MacEwen's 1966 (now out-of-print) poetry collection, A Breakfast for Barbarians, read by a new generation of poets. The festival culminates beneath a twilight summer sky on July 14th with the ever-popular Scream in High Park mainstage, featuring an incredible line up of performers. On Thursday July 10th, the festival's keynote panel hones in on the issues at the heart of the copyright debates: how do artists negotiate the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright all rights reserved and the public domain no rights reserved? What is influence anyway? Who owns art and who should have access to it? How do countercultures challenge concepts of privacy rights? Kenneth Goldsmith, Alexis Muirhead, Sonja Ahlers, M. NourbeSe Philip and Michael Maranda engage with issues of copyright, collaboration and appropriation with each artist representing a unique perspective. The panel will be moderated by In Praise of Copying author and contemporary scholar, Marcus Boon. Throughout the night long-standing experimental and electronic musician Brian Joseph Davis performs sonic surgery. Workshops, held throughout the festival, will cover everything from the grey areas of Fan-Fiction and translation to the tongue-in-cheek resurrection of books as they enter the public domain this year. And don't forget the music! Prepare yourselves for a comprehensive tour of pop-whimsy, indie-rock and soul-savvy tunes at the Scream Gala (July 12). Your guides? Toronto band and indie-pop sensations The Bicycles. This year promises a DJ's sampling of art, food, music and ideas. Whether you're deeply invested in issues of intellectual property rights or you just want to have breakfast for dinner and get your groove on, this year's festival is not to be missed! PLUNDER AWAY!
