Spoken Music Written Word Filmography Biography Home Upcoming email

Leanne Averbach is a Canadian writer, performance poet, experimental filmmaker and screenwriter. She has been published in numerous literary magazines and performed her work with musicians across Canada, the US and Italy. Her first book Fever (Mansfield Press, Toronto 2005) was short-listed for the national Gerald Lampert Memorial first poetry book prize in 2006. Her companion CD Fever is a fusion of her spoken words and the blues/jazz accompaniment of the group Indigo. "The poems swing from worldly to wild." (Georgia Straight 2006) 

Come Closer, Averbach’s second volume of poems is published by Tightrope Books, Toronto, 2010. The companion CD Come Closer was just released (2015), adding rock and electronic fusion sounds to the mix of blues/jazz accompaniment.

Her first video-poem Carwash can be viewed on the site along with her second short film, Teacups & Mink, selected as Best Short International Film, Poetic Genre, and Best Directorial Debut at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival 2008, as well as a Best Short Film at the Palm Desert Film Festival 2008.

Currently, Averbach has developed a TV series and written the pilot for, “LOYALTIES”, a WWII spy thriller (see Filmography section for details). Other scripts are in the works.

Leanne formerly taught at the University of British Columbia Language Institute in Vancouver. She holds an MA from Simon Fraser University and an MFA from The New School, New York in poetry, as well as an MFA from Long Island University, Brooklyn (Steiner Studios) in TV Writing.

 

** BEST SHORT INTERNATIONAL FILM, POETIC GENRE
New York International Independent Film & Video Festival 2008

** BEST SHORT FILM
Palm Desert Film Festival, 2008

** BEST DIRECTORAL DEBUT, Los Angeles screening
New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, 2008

Short Listed for the 2006 Gerald Lampert Memorial First Book Award

DFAIT Canadian Embassy, New York City, March 2005
$1600 travel grant for launch of CD & book

Poets & Writer’s Grant, September 2004
nominated by New York Arts & Dance Innovation

Big City Lit Int’l Chapbook Contest, New York City, 2003
Honourable Mention (3rd place)

Poets & Writer’s Grant, New York City, 2002
nominated by Knitting Factory Reading Series

Sub-Terrain Magazine Last Poems Contest, 2000
Runner-up