Halifax

African Nova Scotia Heritage Month Poets in Residence program

SPECIAL EVENT & BOOK LAUNCH

3:00pm
- 4:00pm
Saturday February 22 2014

During the week of February 17th to February 24th Four African Canadian poets, Afua Cooper, El Jones, Jacob Sampson and Valerie Mason-John will be Poets in Residence at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. The week-long residency will include workshops with school classes, interactive, live exhibits, and will culminate in a public presentation by the Artists on Saturday, February 22nd at 3:00. The presentation is free, with donations to Feed Nova Scotia welcome.

Poets in Residence

Doctor Afua Cooper is known as a foremost practitioner of the Caribbean poetics, dub poetry. As one of the pioneers of dub in Canada, for over 30 years now, she has made a vast contribution to the field and that of Canadian poetry in general.

A celebrated and award-winning poet, she is the author of five books of poetry, including the acclaimed Copper Woman and Other Poems.

She is presently the James Robinson Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University. In addition, she is also the chair and founder of the Black Canadian Studies Association.

El Jones is a spoken word activist and teacher. Her poetry is particularly committed to political causes and social justice and has worked extensively with organizations around Halifax performing and presenting on issues of social change.  She is dedicated to using poetry in prison outreach and youth engagement, and volunteers twice a week at Centerline Studio on the corner of Uniacke and Gottingen. She currently teaches in the African Canadian Transition Program at NSCC and in the Women's Studies program at Acadia. El believes that poetry can empower the powerless and give voice to the voiceless.

Jacob Sampson is an actor from the Annapolis Valley N.S. He studied acting at Acadia University, has taken part in a variety of productions such as one light theatre's prismatic festival and has spent two seasons with Shakespeare by the Sea.

 

Dr. Valerie Mason-John is an award winning author of eight books. She is the co-author of the Great Black North - Contemporary African Canadian Poetry. Trained in Mime and physical theatre, she works as a bully doctor, enabling young people to deal with bullying.

“Borrowed Body” Book Reading/Launch by Valerie Mason-John

“I could have been born and raised in Africa. But my spirit was in too much of a rush to be reincarnated. At six weeks I was chucked out into the new year of 1965, which wasn't prepared to welcome an African baby, abandoned on a harsh English winter's day.” So begins Pauline's spirited and moving story of her childhood and teenage years in and out of foster homes and back and forth to Dr. Barnardo's Village in Essex.

Published by Demeter Press Canada 2014