With the opening party of the Contact Photography Festival and Spider-Man 3 hitting box offices, there's quite a lot to keep you busy in Toronto on this Friday night. But for those of you who won't be able to make it down to the bustle of Queen West and aren't willing to risk the disappointment of a subpar installment of your favorite superhero franchise, some of the best spoken word in all of Canada will be happening tonight on the Danforth.

Cryptic Chatter, a monthly poetry and spoken word series hosted by the ever-talented and amazingly funny Valentino Assenza, is celebrating its fourth anniversary tonight with a star-studded showcase and an open mic set at the Renaissance Cafe. The night's feature poets include Amanda Hiebert — on whom I've had the biggest crush for years — and the one and only Shane Koyczan, the first international performer to win the Individual Championship title at the National Poetry Slam in Rhode Island.

The video of above of Shane Koyczan's performance at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word last year is just a sampling of what you can expect tonight. To sign up for the open mic arrive early and sign up. The event starts at 7:30pm with a $5.00 Cover.

For more information, check out the Facebook event page.

(Photo by thorinside. Video taken by Sameer Vasta at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.)