Spoken-word poetry doesn’t have to be awkward or unapproachable, especially when you have artistic director of the Victoria Spoken Word Festival, Missie Peters, on the job. Five years ago, Peters wanted to help this discipline grow, change, and continue to be innovative, so she developed this festival that gives spoken-word poets opportunities that have nothing to do with their craft, inevitably contributing to the creative process.
“If I say to you, ‘Go write something that no one’s ever written before,’ that’s really, really hard to do, but if I say, ‘Spend an afternoon with puppets. Can you write a poem using puppetry?’ Now you have a tool in your toolkit that you can bring out and use, and it gives people more skills with which to innovate,” says Peters.
And at last year’s festival, performers did use puppets, resulting in an edgy performance that lives up to Victoria’s funky reputation. But don’t be mistaken: while some of the methods may seem a little out there, there’s a reason that spoken-word audiences are expanding, and Peters says it’s becauseĘthe poets speak from a place of truth.
“The reason that spoken word really connects with audiences is because it is immediate, it’s very visceral, and it’s very interactive,” she says. “There’s a lot of this feeling of being in the moment with the artist and responding as an audience to each other.”
The spoken-word audience is very diverse, says Peters. The festival also draws people from other disciplines, joining forces with the local dance and improv communities, who will be featured in the shows throughout the fest’s events.
Then, for the fest finale, the poets write and perform a full show together in one day, using all of the new experiences and creative tools they’ve gained throughout the week. The result of this collaboration has Peters mesmerized.
“It’s always magical. It’s just something that I never film; I feel like its un-filmable, it’s something that can only happen in that moment,” she says. “It’s for that audience and it’s for those artists.”
2015 is the fifth year of the fest (which will have Toronto’s Brendan McLeod as the poet of honour), and to celebrate they’re bringing back some all-stars. These poets have gone on to tour Canada, as well as being recognized nationally.
One of the poets returning to the festival is 20-year-old Chimwemwe Undi. She was a part of the Winnipeg Poetry Slam Team and is the communications director for Voices, Ink., a youth poetry project.
Undi was introduced to spoken word through a club at her school and late-night YouTube visits; however, she’s convinced that she would have found her passion some way or another, regardless of having access to those resources.
“I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing, and I’ve been on stages in some form or another, musical theatre, classical music, speech, and debate, whatever, since I was about 10. My family is big on storytelling,” she says. “Spoken word seems like a natural progression from those things.”
Undi has been known to write about her experiences with immigration, religion, and, more currently, race, with all of the happenings in the news. But she believes that her words are only a component to spoken poetry and it’s really more about the connection she makes.
“More than any message, I try to connect with people that are generous enough to listen to me. Spoken word is so much listening; it’s holding space for other people, letting them say their piece,” she says.
Undi says she’s very grateful to the people who listen to her, and, because of the connections she’s established, it has allowed for success to follow, even at such a young age. But when asked for advice, she doesn’t feel qualified to give it, mostly because she feels like she hasn’t been doing anything long enough to know it’s working, and partially because she eats ice cream even though she is lactose intolerant. However, she does think that self-expression is a key that can open many doors.
“It’s important to find a way to express yourself. It’s necessary to recognize the importance of the voice you want to share,” she says. “Your thoughts and emotions are valid and deserve space in whatever conversation that’s happening, and as long as it comes from a place with integrity, someone, somewhere will see the value in what you do. You’ll connect with someone, and that’s the only reason to do anything.”
Victoria Spoken Word Festival
February 23-March 1
$12-$45, Various venues
missiepeters.ca/festival/