A poetry reading series for the homeless in Toronto.

The event was part of a writers series at the Meeting Place, paid for by Canada Council for the Arts funding, with the aim of bringing culture to a segment of society without the means to attend concerts or other ticketed events. It featured St. George and his rhythmic style of performance poetry as headliner, but also included poetry readings by members of the Meeting Place community.

Jenny Thivierge, 41, is a recovering crack addict who started visiting the friendly, spacious centre while she was living on the streets. She now has an apartment, but is on a shoestring budget that doesn’t allow her many luxuries, and often attends community kitchen meals and social events at the centre.

“This is important because it’s feeding the mind, too,” said Thivierge, who is hoping to attend the culinary management program at George Brown College next fall. “Sometimes you look around and you think ‘remember when you used to go to the theatre, remember when you had money for a movie?’”

“Now I have no cable and I live in a bachelor. Sometimes you’re just looking at four walls and watching them suck in on you.”

She clearly wasn’t the only person who appreciated the evening’s performances. The group of about 40 people, which included many still living on the street or in squats, played an active role in the night’s affair – whether it was through their own performances, by singing along, or in one case, joining a performer onstage to tap a coffee mug to the rhythm.