by Festival of Health Research | Oct 14, 2015 | Artist Bio
Internationally recognized Spoken Word Poet Sheri-D Wilson has performed & taught in festivals in Canada, USA, England, France, Mexico, and South Africa. She has 9 collections of poetry, her most recent—Open Letter: Woman against Violence against Women; was nominated for the 2015 Robert Kroetsch Poetry Book Award. Her collection, Re:Zoom (2005), won the 2006 Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry. She has written 5 produced plays, produced 2 CDs & 5 Video-Poems and she co-created 1 ballet for Ballet BC. She edited the celebrated, The Spoken Word Workbook: inspiration from poets who teach. Recipient of: 2015 City of Calgary Award (Artist and Activist) * 2015 Writer-In-Residence (Kwantlen University) * 2013 CBC Top 10 Poets in Canada * 2009 Ted Talk * 2005 SpoCan Poet of Honour * 2006 Woman of Vision * 5 Rosies * 2003 USA Heavyweight Title * 5 Jessie Nominations * Ace Award * & Nominated The Canadian Author Who Would Make The Best LOVER!” Featured in Arc Magazine (2015), FreeFall (2015), Chatelaine Magazine (2013), a regular on CBC, and the subject of a half-hour documentary Heart of a Poet, et cetera. Of the beat tradition, in 1989 she studied at Naropa University (Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics). A strong advocate for social change: La Directrice Artistique—School of Thought (2016) Founder & Director—Calgary Spoken Word Festival (2003-2014) Founder & Director—Spoken Word Program @ Banff Centre (2005-2012)...
by Festival of Health Research | Oct 14, 2015 | Artist Bio
Recent participation in events like Tonight Its Poetry in Saskatoon or to the Write Out Loud a spoken word collective also in Saskatoon are regular for me. I have encompassed my stage presence to include playwriting, which I have joined the Aboriginal Playwriting Circle. I am currently employed as the Aboriginal Arts Leader at SCYAP (Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Programming) where I have co-created a writing group called the Indigenous Poetry Society. I am also currently the Artist/Writer-in-residence at Saskatoon Polytechnic Campus for Basic Education students. I have recently finished a CARFAC Mentorship Program which has allowed me to focus and direct my artistic career. I have also worked with CARFAC on two occasions this year to bring Spoken Word Poetry and Storytelling to the young men inside the Prince Albert Correctional...
by Festival of Health Research | Oct 14, 2015 | Artist Bio
Chimwemwe Undi is a writer, performer and arts organizer. In 2015, she was an alumni ensemble member at the Victoria Spoken Word Festival, artist-in-residence at the Spur Festival and a featured performer at the Prairie Theatre Exchange’s Carol Shields Festival of New Work. She is the co-founder and director of Voices, Ink., the Winnipeg Youth Slam and coordinator for the Speaking Crow open mic series. Her work has appeared in Prairie Fire, CV2, Lemonhound and others. She has five too many teeth and knows all the words to most important power...
by Festival of Health Research | Oct 14, 2015 | Artist Bio
Award winning poet Ahmed ‘Knowmadic’ is a Somali-born Canadian who currently resides in Treaty 6 Territory [Edmonton, Alberta]. He is a full-time poet, writer, actor, comedian, speaker and youth worker. In 2011, Ahmed became the first Somali spoken word champion at the Swiss Festival of Health Research, but shared the honor by being the first Albertan and Edmontonian as well. In 2012, Ahmed was given the RISE award for community involvement in arts and culture. In 2013, he was the Artist in Residence at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Ahmed is one of the founders and organizers of the Breath in Poetry...
by Festival of Health Research | Oct 14, 2015 | Artist Bio
Alessandra Naccarato is a writer, performer and arts educator based in Vancouver, B.C. Winner of the 2015 Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers, the Reader’s Choice Award for the 2014 CBC Poetry Prize, and Event Magazine’s 2014 Creative Non-Fiction Award, her writing has appeared across Canada and the United States. She has toured nationally and internationally as a spoken word artist, worked with thousands of youth across the country, and is currently completing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. Workshop Description: Writing Resilience Spoken word can break open the bone of trauma; individual, collective. Our personal narratives, and those of the world around us. We write into the heart of violence: physical, psychological, environmental. What is the impact of this on us as writers and performers? How does this shape our relationship to audiences? Beyond trigger warnings, how can we foster resilience through storytelling? This workshop will open up space to discuss creative process, the challenges and potential of writing our most difficult struggles. Why do we need to share these stories? What literary approaches can best support this process? From magic realism to persona poems, how have others navigated writing trauma? Mostly, we will write. Through a series of creative writing exercises, we will map our own stories of healing. The healing we see in the world around us and the transformations we have lived. Drawing techniques from creative non-fiction, poetry, and performance, the workshop will aim to create work that has an impact on the page and the...
