38. THE SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE
In-Person Feature Event
Spoken word host The Wild Woman returns to the Rose Studio to host an incredibly curated event of spoken word performers.
Date: May 6, 2023
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm ET
The 2023 festival will run from April 30 – May 7. Dedicated virtual programming on our innovative, online platform will run April 30 – May 3, while in-person events — many of which will also be live-streamed and available on-demand for virtual audiences — will run May 4-7.
A Virtual Festival Pass gives guests access to more than 20 virtual events which can be viewed from the website or through our festival app designed for mobile devices. In addition to festival events, virtual passes provide users with direct access to more than a dozen vendors in our festival exhibitor hall. Guests who purchase a virtual pass can also participate in trivia times, roundtable discussions and our new festival after-parties, which will follow all of our evening events.
An In-Person Festival Pass gives users access to all of our virtual events as well as our standard in-person events in Brampton, Ontario on Saturday, May 6.
This year, the festival includes three in-person Specialty Events – the Dine N’ Draw on May 4, the Literary Cabaret on May 5 and our Historical Fiction High Tea on May 7. Tickets for these events are not covered with our passes and are only available until April 30.
On a Budget? Check out our Patron Pass program.
Shelly Grace is a Toronto-based spoken word poet, photographer, and arts educator. In 2022 she was named Toronto’s Breakthrough Artist by Toronto Arts Foundation, and JAYU’s Emerging Artist of the year. In 2019 she won the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word while on the Up From The Roots slam team, becoming a National Spoken Word Champion. She is involved with VIBE Arts on their artist roster, where she works as an art educator and performer. She has also performed and worked for groups such as Toronto Poetry Slam (TPS), Toronto Public Library (TPL), Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and more.
Shahaddah Jack is an 18 year old bilingual spoken word poet, author, performer, emcee, human rights activist, arts facilitator, and student of life. She uses the realities of her identity to create stories of art that connect with others and are used to teach one of her greatest beliefs in life, that your pain is your power and our beauty is our story. Not only does she do this with her poetry, but conjointly with her activism and arts facilitation as well. For her efforts, Shahaddah has recently been announced as BGC Canada’s 2022 National Youth of The Year.
Alessandra Naccarato is the author of Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene (Essays) and Re-Origin of Species (Poems). Born and raised in Tkaronto (Toronto), her poetry and essays speak to intersections of disability and ecological change, and have appeared widely in publications such as The New Quarterly, Room Magazine, and Event. She is the recipient of numerous recognitions, including the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award and the CBC Poetry Prize, and holds graduate degrees in both creative writing and community economic development, supporting two decades of work in grassroots social change, community arts, and the prevention of gender-based violence.
Gavin Russell is a Spoken Word Artist out of Whitby, Ontario. Over the course of the last decade, he has brought his words to stages all over, attempting to bring levity, contemplation, and a desire to relish in the mundane to audiences everywhere. I multi-city champion in poetry slam, and a one time national champion, He hopes to enlighten and entertain with you. Yes, you specifically.
The Wild Woman is a Jamaican-born creator rooted deeply in her intersections as Black, woman, and queer, to harness purpose and use poetry, spirituality, and sensual self-introspection to challenge thoughts and ideals, instigating waves of change. With a career spanning over a decade, The Wild Woman is an award-winning spoken word artist, poet, author, educator, and workshop facilitator. She is also an event producer, host, speaker, and curator.