Poets from Ukraine, Toronto, and other parts of the world come together across borders and boundaries to present readings and reflections on each other’s poems as a catalyst for dialogue, healing, connection and community.

The Waste Land Project is a live, hybrid exchange to help frame a powerful, global discussion about some of the timeless themes of T.S. Eliot’s 100-year-old poem The Waste Land, including the impact of war on families and communities, environmental and societal collapse, colonial violence and pandemics.

Originally published in 1922, following the devastation of both WWI and the Spanish Flu, The Waste Land reflected the challenges of its time. With its clear present-day parallels, such as growing inequality, the war in Ukraine, the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and the ever-present threat of climate change, the poem resonates deeply with the challenges of the present moment.

This free, public event, presented by Theater of War Productions and Toronto International Festival Authors, will feature dramatic readings of selections from The Waste Land by prominent actors, followed by a group of poets, in person and on screen, reading poems in response to the poem, culminating in a guided audience discussion, facilitated by Bryan Doerries (Artistic Director, Theater of War Productions), aimed at cultivating healing, connection and community.

The Waste Land Project will feature readings by Madhur Anand (Canadian poet and professor of ecology and sustainability), A.F Moritz (poet laureate of Toronto), Erin Robinsong (poet and interdisciplinary artist) and three Ukrainian poets.

This event is presented as part of the Here + There Project.