Last April the Straight published a feature story on fast-rising Vancouver singer-songwriter Desirée Dawson, in advance of a show scheduled for the Cultch as part of the Verses Festival of Words.

That event had to be canceled due to a COVID-19 exposure, but it's been rescheduled for next Thursday (August 11).

"We are reviving the show because the artists are so excited about performing with each other," says Colleen Brown, general manager of the Vancouver Poetry House, which oversees the annual Verses Festival of Words.

Joining Dawson for the evening of music and poetry will be queer non-binary filipinx artist and rapper Kimmortal; storytelling Filipino songwriter, producer, and mental-health advocate Francis Arevalo; and poet, educator, and teaching artist Hari Alluri.

"Sounds Like Fire will be equal parts tenderness and fire, water and righteous rage," reads the event's promotional material. "Each featured artist brings big love and social consciousness to the stage, while displaying lyrical craft that encompasses hip hop, the poetic page, folk, and experimental music in between."

Tickets for the show, which takes place at the Vancity Culture Lab at 8 pm, are priced at $25, and you can find them here.