Calgary International Spoken Word Festival

April 01-06 2014
National Poetry Month
The Calgary Spoken Word Festival presents
the hottest / most daring / mighty and dynamic festival
in the world.
The festival was founded in 2004,
by internationally-known Spoken Word Artist Sheri-D Wilson,
whose dedication and passion have fuelled the explosion of the Spoken Word genre.
Since it's inception, the presentations of different languages together have always been paramount in our philosophical landscape. With languages going extinct and with them ways of seeing and being, language intercommunication must be addressed now!
Word Travels is our festival school program which brings poets and students together in the classroom and also in our library presentations. In order to increase accessibility, the festival offers translations, multi-lingual poetry, and signing for the hearing impaired. The Spoken Word Workbook:inspiration from poets who teach is a Go-to resource with prompts in history, creation or writing and performance by 27 of the leading artists, edited by Sheri-D Wilson.
In 2005 Sheri-D Wilson founded The Spoken Word Program at The Banff Centre, which has become the 1st and only Spoken Word Program in Canada. This program was designed to give 16 participants the opportunity to spend 2 weeks at The Banff Centre, cultivating their craft with mentors - renowned faculty members. Sheri-D Wilson was the Program Director until 2012, when she handed the torch to Tanya Evanson.
A monthly Slam & Open Mic (launched in 2006) provides a year-round outlet for Calgary Spoken Word - Facebook - Inkspot Collective. Every year we take a team to Nationals so come down and share!
Spoken word finds it's roots in the oral tradition and encompasses jazz, Dub, and Hip-hop beats. Spoken Word includes Slam Poetry and also Storytelling. Spoken Word poetry often includes rhythm, sound, music, and beat. It is poetry of the body. It is written and presented in the voice of the people for the people. It is inclusive and it's artists are activists - they give back - create change - community - voice.

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