11 Word! (1)

Tanya Davis

Nova Scotia

Zaccheus Jackson

British Columbia

Sheri-D Wilson

Alberta

Tanya Davis, Nova Scotia

Tanya Davis is a singer/songwriter/poet who is a two-time winner of the cbc National Poetry Face-off and the author of the video poem “How to Be Alone,” which has screened at a number of film festivals, won awards and had over three million views on YouTube. She is currently serving as the Mayor’s Poet Laureate for the city of Halifax. Her debut collection is At First, Lonely. Read more

Zaccheus Jackson, British Columbia

Zaccheus Jackson is a full-blood member of the Blackfoot people. He was born in Alberta and now calls Vancouver home, working full-time as a performing artist. He has toured and Canada and the USA performing his unique blend of storytelling and urban guerrilla poetry. He has facilitated workshops and events for at-risk youth, and he currently works with Vancouver’s Full Circle First Nations Performance. Read more

Sheri-D Wilson, Alberta

Sheri-D Wilson, “the Mama of Dada,” has seven collections of poetry, the most recent of which is Autopsy of a Turvy World. She has two spoken word CDs (arranged by Russell Broom) and four award-winning videopoems, including Airplane Paula and Spinsters Hanging in Trees, all produced for Bravo!FACT. She recently edited The Spoken Word Workbook: Inspiration from Poets who Teach. Read more

Host: Brendan McLeod
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - 10:00am - 11:30am
Granville Island Stage
$17 / $8.50 for student groups

Spread the word, but make sure you get your tickets before you do, as this event sells out fast! Three masters of words on the fly appear together for this event―and no one knows what might happen! Halifax’s Poet Laureate Tanya Davis, two-time winner of the cbc National Poetry Face-off, joins guerrilla poet Zaccheus Jackson, whose life has provided plenty of fodder for hard-hitting and raw performance poetry. Sheri-D Wilson, the mother of spoken word in Canada, founded the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival and has produced two spoken-word CDs as well as seven collections of poetry. This is a morning of creativity and fast talking that will leave you energized and awestruck, delighted that poetry knows no boundaries.

(This event is repeated on Thursday afternoon.)

Suitable for grades 10–12 and adults

View the study guide for this event.

Word! (1)

Spread the word, but make sure you get your tickets before you do, as this event sells out fast! Three masters of words on the fly appear together for this event―and no one knows what might happen! Halifax’s Poet Laureate Tanya Davis, two-time winner of the CBC National Poetry Faceoff, joins guerrilla poet Zaccheus Jackson whose life has provided plenty of fodder for hard-hitting and raw performance poetry. Sheri-D Wilson, the mother of spoken word in Canada, founded the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival and has produced two spoken word CDs as well as seven collections of poetry. This is a morning of creativity and fast talking that will leave you energized and awestruck, delighted that poetry knows no boundaries.

(This event is repeated on Thursday afternoon.)

Curriculum Connection:

Foster broader student engagement.
Increase student interest in diverse forms of literature.
Identify rhythm in poetry.
Experiment with creating rhythm verbally and non-verbally.
Build communications skills, confidence and self-esteem.

Activities:

1) On a board, write out one of Shakespeare’s poems and map out the rhythm with beve, ictus and caesura markings. Read the poem out loud, emphasizing the rhythm and emphasis points. Give students the opportunity to see and read aloud the selected verse. Ask students to clap out the rhythm.

2) Ask students to select and recite a favourite lyric or poem to compare to the Shakespearean verse.

3) After each piece is recited, students can take turns identifying the rhythm by clapping.

4) Involve your students in a game of “Who Started the Motion?”

Students make a standing circle
One student steps out of the room
As the leader, the teacher chooses one student in the circle
That student makes rhythmic movements that the rest must imitate
They must work in unity to fool the student who has stepped out
The leader should change movements about every 30 seconds
Students should be coached not to turn their back to the circle
The idea is to establish a rhythm
The student returns. He/she has three guesses to discover the leader
As game progresses, the teacher should encourage more complex rhythms.

5) Students return to seats to write a spontaneous poem in only 15 minutes.

6) Students notate their completed poems for rhythm.

7) Each student reads their work aloud while the class accompanies the reading with clapping or stomping feet to match the rhythm of the poem.

11 Word! (1)

Word! (1)

2011 Festival