Using a projection screen, a videophone and a telephone line, youth in Vancouver are linking up with young poets in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles for live Telepoetic events. Video still pictures and live audio accompaniment allow for an exchange of poetry and performance art, and give youth the occasion to share their ideas with their peers. "The participants get to express their viewpoints and make a statement," says Haley. "I think it's really hard when you're a teenager to have that opportunity."

Originating in Los Angeles in 1991, the Telepoetics concept focuses on connecting people and their art. Link-ups take place everywhere, from cafes to theaters, galleries, even backyards. "As a group we are interested in forming a sense of community by encouraging direct cultural and artistic communication," says Haley, who brought Telepoetics events to Vancouver in 1994. This is the first year for Teen Telepoetics, which branched off from the original adult group to allow a forum specifically for youth.

Participants of the technically-enhanced poetry readings are excited at the opportunity to learn more about their peers in other countries, and to receive feedback on their work. "It's very interesting to talk to people in other cities such as Chicago," explains Joshua Caldwell, an eighteen-year-old Teen Telepoet. "The poets there were interested in a totally different style of poetry than we were. They had one woman reading this wonderful, very honest, inner-city poetry about being black and being a woman, a basic conveyance of experience. That was so valuable, and it caused me to reflect upon my situation here and to write things differently."

Understanding the value of poetry is indeed a hidden benefit of the Telepoetics experience. By creatively conveying personal feelings, experiencing different styles of writing, and expressing themselves through their voice and their bodies, Teen Telepoets are, in a sense, perfecting the business skills associated with poetry, communications and literacy abilities they will require in today's world of work.

Participants are also learning technical skills, and although the Bard himself may not have been too well-versed in technology, today's poets certainly are. Teen Telepoetics events include a technical workshop where participants are taught how to work the camera and how to set up the equipment. "It's great to be able to have poets and artists connected using technology," says 18-year-old Creative Writing student, Heather Hollingdale.

Operated by the Edgewise Cafe and Electrolit Centre, a non-profit society dedicated to experimenting with electronic media in the literary arts, Telepoetics events are intended to give poetry the opportunity to stand out as a valued means of communication in this increasingly technological world. "Connecting people is a real art," says Haley, "and I think that it's really important that we as artists get our foot in the door and use the new media for the literary arts."