Electric Mermaid Live Reads Featuring: Mark Wonneck @Char's

Electric Mermaid Live Reads Featuring: Mark Wonneck

Wednesday November 25th 2026 doors 5:30pm open mic 6-8pm

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba but now living on Vancouver Island, singer-songwriter Mark Wonneck  has been performing off and on in folk festivals and clubs, and house concerts since the mid-1980s.  His performances have been described as : “…a  beautifully rare blend of poetry, stream of conscious thought, and comic surprise.  This kind of slow pour of storytelling makes you want to listen forever.  Masterful and deeplyhuman" (L. Schuerbeke, Concert Host, Parksville BC);  "Mark’s performance is laugh-out-loud entertaining. His creative wit keeps you engaged and singing along while simultaneously moving you deeply. Not only does he perform original songs with uncharacteristic insight into our world—with all its foibles and beauty—but he also serves up the unexpected” (S. Cowan Copy, Parksville, BC).  "Honestly, he’s unique and the closest thing we have to a musical Stuart McLean. His brilliant songs will crack a smile as easily as a tear…sometimes during the same song." (M. Sherlock, Oceanside Folk/Roots Club,Qualicum Beach, BC).  Markhas three solo albums (Storylines, Following Some Birds, and RemnantWonders) and is in the process of “recording enoughother songs to fill a small bathtub.”   

The albums can bepurchased as CDs or downloaded at https://markwonneckmusic.com/store.

What to Expect: Whether you join the Electric Mermaid in person at Char’s Landing or via Zoom, expect to enjoy an eclectic array of open mic readers sharing brief (5 minute max) samples from their literary, and sometimes musical, works, along with a longer reading from one or more featured reader(s) sharing published, or soon to be published, work. Come engage with a dynamic and inspiring literary event that welcomes and encourages writers at all levels of development.
The Electric Mermaid is a hybrid literary event that began over 20 years ago under the banner of Words on Fire. First organized by North Island College creative writing students Fran Thiessen, Vicki Drybrough, and Libbie Morin, monthly meetings took place in Smitty’s Restaurant on 3rd Avenue in Port Alberni with reader’s voices competing with the clatter of dishes emanating from the kitchen. After a brief stint in another café, Words on Fire graduated to Char’s Landing where it persisted for a few years before its resurrection into its current iteration as Electric Mermaid, named in honour of Luma, a mermaid sculpture that illuminates the hall at Char’s. Covid pushed the event onto Zoom, and it continues to thrive as a hybrid event enjoyed by audiences live at Char’s and across Canada and beyond on Zoom.

Electric Mermaid: Live Reads from Char's Landing, Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada and via ZOOM !

Spoken Word Open Mic, last Wednesday of each month, Char's physical doors open 5:30pm Pacific Time, Live Reads 6-8pm

Emcee: Derek Hanebury   Moderator: Karl Korven   ZOOM Producer: Charlene Patterson

We also welcome you to join us via ZOOM and click this automatic ZOOM link below:https://zoom.us/j/93236999892?pwd=N2FLZkxGMUhyTk5ySGVOenhuZFcxdz09

PRE-REGISTER and sign up for a 5-minute spot at the open mic by emailing ElectricMermaidReads@gmail.com

Char's Landing Hall & Hostel4815 Argyle @5th, Port Alberni, BC
all ages listening venue  Kids<=6 FREE
www.charslanding.com/events
call/whatsapp/text +1 250 730 1636
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