Calgary Spoken Word Society is thrilled to bring together some super geeks from the superverse to share Quirky Works Poetry at Beakerhead 2023.
Quirky Works poets will bring their super geeky, fun, quirky and science based poems to Beakerhead, promising to offer an evening of laughter, insight, and shared connection. Audience members will be welcome to offer a few lines toward a collaborative poem to round out the evening, and fun will be had by all!
QUIRKY WORKS POETRY FEATURES:
Chris L. Butler is a Black American and Dutch Poet-Essayist born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. He is the author of two chapbooks, Sacrilegious (Fahmidan Publishing Co.) and BLERD: ’80s BABY, ’90s KID. Chris’ poems can be found in Southern Florida Poetry Journal, CV2: The Canadian Journal of Poetry & Critical Writing, Alternating Current Press, Trampset, The Pinch, APIARY Magazine, Variant Literature, and others. Chris currently works as Co-Deputy Editor at Afros in Tha City, the only Black media outlet in Canada of its kind and as Editor in Chief of the book review outlet, The Poetry Question. Chris immigrated to Canada in 2020, moving from his adopted home of Houston, Texas to Calgary, Alberta.
Weyman Chan is the author of five books of poetry including Noise from the Laundry, which was a finalist for a Governor General’s Literary Award. His most recent collection, Human Tissue: a primer for Not Knowing, examines rage and the quest for origin. Chan’s chapbook, Isobars, was published in 2017 as a part of the Loft-on-Eighth Press series, “Inner City Stories.” He won the Latner Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize in 2021, and he is currently finishing his sixth book of poetry. Chan lives in Calgary, where he divides his time between writing, family, and electron micrographs.
Skylar Kay is embroiled in a love affair with poetry, having also been published in academic and literary journals. Her work has been described as raw, tender and tinged with humour and grace. Her first book of poetry, Transcribing Moonlight, was published in 2022 by Frontenac House and has been shortlisted for the 2023 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, and the 2023 Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry. Kay’s is an essential new voice in Canadian poetry and one that will not be easily forgotten.
David Martin works as a literacy instructor in Calgary and as an organizer for the Single Onion Poetry Series. His first collection, Tar Swan (NeWest Press, 2018), was a finalist for the Raymond Souster Award and the City of Calgary W. O. Mitchell Book Prize. David’s work has been awarded the CBC Poetry Prize, and has been shortlisted for prizes from FreeFall, Vallum, PRISM international, and the Alberta Magazine Awards. As well, he was named a “writer to watch” in 2023 by CBC Books. His next collection, Kink Bands, will be published by NeWest Press in 2023.
Sheri-D Wilson is the award-winning author and creator of 13 books, 4 short films, and 4 albums which combine music and poetry. In 2019 she was appointed to the Order of Canada, for her contributions as a Spoken Word Poet and her leadership in the community. In 2017, she received her Doctor of Letters—Honoris Causa from Kwantlen University. She is Poet Laureate Emeritus of Calgary 2018–2020. Sheri-D is also the Founder & Director of Calgary Spoken Word Society (2003- 2022) and The Banff Centre Spoken Word Program (2005-2012). She lives in Calgary & Vancouver, where she’s busy as the emblem of Canada – editing a trilogy of speculative poetry, to be published by Write Bloody North in 2024. www.sheridwilson.com | insta sheridwilson | Twitter @SheriDWilson
Shone Thistle is a queer poet and multimodal artist. Once described as a “feminist folk poet,” her range is radio to jazz ensemble, festival to conference keynote, inner city cabaret to gallery by the sea. Moments worth mentioning: Calgary Slam competitor at the 2007 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, perfect scores at the world-famous Nuyorican Poets Café, writer, producer and collaborator on Nippy I’aoue Water We, a sound art installation and cabaret performance for Arts Commons. Shone’s poetry can be found in several anthologies, including Mic Check: An Anthology of Canadian Spoken Word Poetry, and more recently, in YYC POP: Poetic Portraits of the People. She is currently working on her debut story and poetry collection, “Conversations with Henry”.
