✨Dust off your dictionaries! ✨ This Sunday is the second 2026 Mini Contest! We’ve got three more nefarious words from previous years’ contests to get you warmed up for the real deal: the 2-Day Contest, which takes place April 17th-19th.

✨12pm-6pm CT Sunday, March 22nd✨
✨3 words, 6 hours, 1 winner✨

Sunday at 12pm CT we’ll release 3 words. You have six hours to use those three words to write a poem and send it in to us.

In order to play, you must be registered for the 2-Day Poem Contest. If we select you as our winner, your poem will be featured on our social media, and you can choose between having your registration reimbursed or gifting a free registration to a friend!

✨THE RULES✨
– Each word must be used at least once in the body of the final entry. Words may be used in the title, but must also appear in the body of the poem.
– Each word must be spelled exactly as provided. The words may not be used as proper nouns.
– Each word must be used in the proper context to qualify.
– Only one poem may be entered per participant.
– Poems can be DMed to us on social media or emailed to contests@contemporaryverse2.ca – just get them in on time!

We’re so happy to announce that our postponed fall zine-making workshop has been rescheduled to Sunday, February 22nd from 12 – 4PM!

Open to youth in Winnipeg ages 15 to 18, this free, in-person zine-making workshop will be facilitated by Anneliese Schoppe and CV2 staff members. Exploring themes of community and place, participants will use past issues of CV2 to create their own zines through writing and collage. All materials are provided and no prior experience is necessary.

This workshop is part of our 50th Anniversary Workshop Series, and is free but requires advance registration. Register here by February 15th! The workshop will be held on the fifth floor of the Artspace Building at 100 Arthur St. in the Exchange District.

Winnipeg residents, please share this opportunity with the teachers and youths in your life. Teachers, please pass the word along to your students!

Anneliese Schoppe has been creating zines as a vibrant form of expression, collaboration, and community-building. Her zine practice of twenty years is deeply rooted in friendship, grassroots organizing, and the transformative power of DIY press and information sharing. Whether developed alongside workshops she facilitates or shared within community spaces, Anneliese’s zines reflect a commitment to accessible, DIY media that uplifts diverse voices and fosters connection.

Registration for the 2026 CV2 2-Day Poem Contest is now open!

This fast-paced yearly contest challenges you to write a poem in 48 hours, using ten twisty words provided by us! We’ll release the words at midnight CDT on Friday, April 17th, 2026 (when Friday becomes Saturday), leaving you two days to craft a poem that incorporates each of them at least once. Prizes include cash, publication, and a copy of the issue containing the winners, not to mention a weekend worth of wordy fun!

Follow this link for more information and to sign up for the contest.

2 Days. 10 words. 1 poem.

We’re so happy to be joined on December 19th by some of the wonderful Winnipeg-based contributors whose work appeared in CV2 this past year! We’ll have readings by J.R. Léveillé, Duncan Mercredi, Catherine Hunter, Sarah Klassen, Jaime Black-Morsette, Sarah Ens, Van Osborne Zimrose, Maya Schwartz, and Shawna Dempsey.

Some of these poets are appearing in CV2 for the first time, while others allowed us the honour of republishing a poem from a former CV2 issue – going as far back as Catherine Hunter’s beguiling poem “the line” from 1994, and Shawna Dempsey’s vivid “Glass Madonna: a performance excerpt,” co-created with Lorri Millan, from 1995.

We feel so fortunate to have had the privilege of sharing work from so many wonderful writers over so many years, and we can’t wait to bring our local poetry community together for this festive night! The event is free to attend (with donations accepted) and will also feature live music from Winnipeg songwriter Theresa Thor!

Friday, Dec. 19th
6:30PM doors / 7:00PM readings
Video Pool Media Arts Centre – 2nd Floor, 100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg
Free/by donation

We’re thrilled to invite you to this in-person poetry event in celebration of our 50th year and our very special summer and fall issues, in which we republished archival poems from 1975-2020. This festive evening will feature readings from Winnipeg poets whose work appeared in the magazine this past year, as well as live music. We can’t wait!

Friday, Dec. 19th
6:30PM doors / 7:00PM readings
Video Pool Media Arts Centre – 2nd Floor, 100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg
Free/accepting donations

Readers to be announced soon! Come help us celebrate our beloved magazine and wonderful contributors!

Sunday, November 9th from 12 – 4PM!

Open to youth in Winnipeg ages 16 to 18, this free, in-person zine-making workshop will be facilitated by Anneliese Schoppe and CV2 staff members. Exploring themes of community and place, participants will discuss contemporary Canadian poetry using examples from past issues of CV2 and then create their own zines via writing and collage.

This workshop is part of our 50th Anniversary Workshop Series, and is free but requires advance registration. Register here by November 5th!

Winnipeg residents, please share this with the teachers and youths in your life. Teachers, please pass the word along to your students!

Anneliese Schoppe has been creating zines as a vibrant form of expression, collaboration, and community-building. Her zine practice of twenty years is deeply rooted in friendship, grassroots organizing, and the transformative power of DIY press and information sharing. Whether developed alongside workshops she facilitates or shared within community spaces, Anneliese’s zines reflect a commitment to accessible, DIY media that uplifts diverse voices and fosters connection.