Quebec Writers' Federation

The Words & Music Show
2024-01-22 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Casa del Popolo, 4873 boul. St-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, H2T 1R6, Canada
Monday, January 22, 20248:00 pm EST (Doors: 7:30 pm)Casa del Popolo (4873 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal)

Join us for the January 2024 edition of the Words & Music Show, featuring the three winners and one finalist of the 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize.

Featuring:

Michael “BeWyrd” Clark (Winner, 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize)

Caitlin Murphy (Winner, 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize)

Svens Telemaque (Finalist, 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize)

Deb Vanslet (Winner, 2023 Spoken Word Prize)

Hosted by poet, trumpet player, and community worker Jason “Blackbird” Selman.

Tickets will be available at the door.

About the Performers

Michael “BeWyrd” Clarke is a slam poet based in Tio’tia:ke. He is the president of the Throw! Poetry Collective, which showcases competitive yet friendly bilingual poetry slams every 1st Saturday at Le Basement. He has a master’s degree in educational technology and is also a musician, livestreamer, and martial artist. For his piece “Survival Mechanisms,” he was a winner of the 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize.

Caitlin Murphy is a writer, director, and dramaturg. She has performed in one-woman shows, stand-up and sketch comedy, and a web-series she created called Mothers Try. Caitlin has also written and directed plays and short films. She was a finalist for the 2022 QWF Spoken Word Prize, and for her piece “All the Screams,” she was a winner of the 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize.

Svens Telemaque has a unique perspective on life and challenges the average perception of circumstances, faith, and emotion. After relocating to Montreal in 2007, he co-founded L’art Selah, a poetry collective, and released his first book, Pen of a Ready Writer Vol.1, in 2014. For his piece “Out of Space,” he was a finalist for the 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize.

Deb Vanslet is a media artist, storyteller, and writer. Her videos explore storytelling and performance. Deb hosted Dykes on Mykes, CKUT-FM for 16 years. She is a co-producer of Confabulation, live storytelling. She won the 2015 carte blanche Prize (“Self-Serve”), and “Ghost Station” was published in The Malahat Review. For her piece “Laughter in the Rain,” she was a winner of the 2023 Ian Ferrier Spoken Word Prize.

About the Host

Jason “Blackbird” Selman is a Montreal-born poet, trumpet player and community worker. He is the author of The Freedom I Stole (2007, Cumulus Press) and Africa As A Dream That Travels Through My Heart (2016, Howl) and co-editor of the poetry anthology Talking Book (2006, Cumulus Press), which chronicles the writings of Kalm Unity Vibe Collective (of which he is a founding member). He has done extensive poetry workshops in schools and community groups across the Montreal area. His work is grounded in the themes of ethnomusicology, surrealist expression, love, and the intersection of masculinity and emotional vulnerability.
