Check out this wonderful interview of PONY! Cabaret founder Michael V. Smith discussing the incredible annual event and its 10-year celebration on March 7, 2026 at Revelry.

In its latest iteration, this work has involved teaming up with the Inspired Word Cafe (IWC) as part of a SSHRC-funded Partnership Engage Grant to help see how the already amazing queer, accessible community programming that IWC does (full gender abundance!) could more explicitly attend to Land relations, decolonization and related responsibilities. The very practical goal of the project was to develop a set of tenets or guidelines for IWC to use as a way of guiding future priorities and actions.

Inspired Word Cafe’s (IWC) New Leaves Festival of Arts and Culture returns this spring from March 5-7, 2026. The three days of film, music, literature, and performances are situated at venues across Kelowna, with events offered in both English and French.

This annual festival welcomes artists from the Okanagan and across Canada for high-calibre performance engaging the idea of how art can be used as a vehicle for sociopolitical resistance and community building. Taking the idiom ‘turning over a new leaf,’ the festival features an annually changing theme that responds to a community-expressed need or topical issue.

This year's festival welcomes writers, drag queens, filmmakers, musicians and more under the theme of ‘Abundance.’ This idea can be both a positive force, as in abundant harvest, or negative one, as in excessive waste, explains IWC Executive Director Cole Mash.

“We are responding to issues of abundance in the Okanagan, such as the growing disparity of wealth and the increasing effects of climate crisis, so we ask: how might the arts engage the duality of abundance, locally, to affect positive change? In which ways are we taking too much, and in which ways might we give more?” says Mash.

The Inspired Word Anthology & Poetry Prize celebrates the power of spoken word poetry by poets within the Okanagan region. This anthology is a collection of poetry that reflects the diverse voices and experiences of our local poets.

The inaugural IWC Anthology & poetry prize was launched at the open mic event on January 17, 2025 with the top three prize winners reading from their submissions.

Inspired Word Café (IWC) is launching a new season, bringing poets and audiences together to celebrate the power of words.

For the past 16 years, Inspired Word Café has been a cornerstone for creative expression in the community, offering live poetry events where local voices can be heard, workshops for youth and adults featuring professional artists from near and far, and a yearly festival with a changing theme.

Inspired Word Café creates space for writers and audiences to come together through live poetry events where community members share their work. IWC also welcomes guest authors and poets, who join the community on stage at their Reading Series events. A highlight of the season is their queer cabaret, Pony!, which celebrates its 10th year with Pony! The Musical. This comedic variety show is part of the New Leaves Festival of Arts and Culture, their annual literary festival that occurs over three days in March.

“Not only is Pony! queer representation in our literary community in Kelowna, it’s also a really fun, and sexy, and silly time. We wait for it to return every year!” says Pony! co-hosts Erin Scott and Michael V. Smith. “We have lots of wild plans for this year.”

The second annual New Leaves Festival is a three-day weekend packed full of events including festival favourite, PONY! Cabaret. Planned for the weekend of March 6 to 8, the festival focuses on local artists and will celebrate Inspired Word Cafe’s (IWC) 15th Season. The three days of music, literature, and performance are situated around Kelowna’s downtown core, with events offered in both English and French.

The festival line-up kicks off at BNA Burger with IWC co-founder Rawle James headlining an open mic, and includes a night of multilingual music and storytelling, a workshop with renowned two-spirit, Oji-Cree poet and novelist Joshua Whitehead, and ends with the ever-popular PONY! Cabaret.

Following a great fall of poetry readings, Inspired Word Café (IWC) is excited to continue the season with more poetry and readings with special guests, the launch of a printed anthology, and the annual New Leaves Festival—a three-day weekend packed full of events including the ever-popular Pony Cabaret!

“It is inspiring to see that people want to share their work with a welcoming and encouraging group of people at our monthly open mics,” says Cole Mash, IWC Executive Director. “Fostering an inclusive and responsive community is crucial at times like these globally.”

The first open mic and open slam of the year is scheduled for Thursday, January 16 at BNA Burger. The open mic welcomes the performance of music, poetry, stand-up comedy, a sketch, and is open to first-timers and experienced artists alike. The open slam invites people to come prepared with three original poems in any style to compete in rounds to win cash prizes.

This event will also be the launch of the IWC Anthology & Poetry Prize—a printed curated collection of poetry that reflects the diverse voices and experiences of our local poets. The top three poems will receive prize money, sponsored by the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art. Copies of the anthology are $10 each with all proceeds supporting IWC programming.

Kelowna's Inspired Word Cafe is hosting a holiday-themed open night to celebrate the launch of Okanagan College professor Norah Bowman's new poetry book, on Nov. 28. 

The night of poetry, prose and Prosecco (or your drink of choice) at BNA Burger will begin with an open mic, where people are encouraged to dress up in festive outfits and share their writing, poetry, art and feelings about the holiday season. 

Then, graduate student and artist Alana Firedancer will offer a poetry performance. 

The evening will culminate with a book reading and interview with author, professor and artist Norah Bowman, PhD. 

Inspired Word Café (IWC) is getting ready to launch its fifteenth season with a series of open mic and open slam events.

The open mic is for anyone to perform music, poetry, stand-up comedy, a sketch, or any genre you can think of to share in our positive space. The open slam invites people to come prepared with three original poems in any style to compete in rounds to win cash prizes.

IWC is also doing a call for spoken word poetry from the Okanagan for an anthology to be printed for their 15th season.

“Sharing on stage is just one part of being a poet or writer and so we wanted to create more opportunities for our local community through publication,” says Erin Scott, IWC Board President.

The much-anticipated Inspired Word Café (IWC) Team Slam event is coming up on March 28th at BNA Brewing. Team Heroes and Team Villains will compete with their poetry to see who will reign victorious. A slam is a competitive event where poets perform original works to a lively and engaged audience.

The event is designed to foster high calibre performances, new work by local poets, and an interactive and rowdy night of fun for the audience. “Unlike other poetry events, a slam is interactive, with the audience playing a key role as the judges for the competition,” explains Ken Shaw, IWC collective member and one of the hosts of this year’s contest. 

In addition to running the open mic series, which offers a space for writers to share their poetry, writing, music, and more, Inspired Word Café (IWC) collective members also run writing workshops for anyone to share their work and receive in-person and direct feedback. 

“Attendees are asked to bring 10 printed copies of a piece of writing, not to exceed two pages, to be reviewed by an inclusive and positive group of fellow writers,” explains IWC collective member and workshop facilitator, Ryan Ennis.

The storied, epic battle of Science Fiction vs. Fantasy will be decided at IWC’s Team Poetry Slam on March 23rd. Join us at the BNA Tasting Room from 7:00pm – 9:00 pm to enjoy live music from local band Twin Towns, and to find out who will reign victorious.

Last week a sold-out audience enjoyed an evening of drag and musical entertainment at the Pony Cabaret held in the Mary Irwin Theatre in the Rotary Centre for the Arts. 

Top-class entertainment, queer culture, music and food combine for a good cause as Pony Cabaret returns to Kelowna.