Summit Meetings
In 2005 Sheri-D Wilson met Carol Holmes at the Banff Centre to discuss bringing 18 super organizers of Spoken Word to the Banff Centre. As it happens, the organizers were also well-known artists, so Sheri-D proposed the 18 artists could perform at the festival before moving to the mountains for the meetings – which is what happened.
That year, the Calgary Spoken Word Society put together both the funding and the organizational team. In July, we brought 18 National and International Spoken Word Poets/organizers to perform at the festival and to have a summit meeting at the Banff Centre for a week-long symposium circle with panels, workshops, discussions & performances. It was a huge success! It was electric! What a discourse! We discussed the possibilities of this new and emerging genre called Spoken Word.
(Please see Videos of the meetings, taken by Mike Roberts, at the bottom of the page)
How we chose the 18 artists
- Well-known as artists (high standard of craft & performance)
- Individuals who walk the talk – who gives back?
- Artists who walk in peace
- Who are building community?
- Who is combining languages
The Artists
David Bateman (Toronto)
Jill Battson (Toronto)
TL Cowen (Vancouver)
Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (Cape Croker)
Ian Ferrier (Montreal)
D. Kimm (Montreal)
Kevin Matthews (Ottawa)
Sean McGarragle (Vancouver)
Ken Mitchell (Regina)
Dwayne Morgan (Toronto)
Mike Roberts (Calgary)
Jem Rolls (Scotland)
Andrea Thompson (Toronto)
RC Weslowski (Vancouver)
Sheri-D Wilson (Calgary)
