Vancouver

Tanya Evanson is an African-Canadian Poet, Writer, Vocalist, Dancer and Director of Mother Tongue Media. Her spoken word career spans almost 15 years and she has worked stages large and small, often backed by Jazz and World Music artists. Her new poetry music fusion CD "The Memorists" was recorded in Istanbul and Vancouver thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Lucia Misch grew up at an astronomical observatory in California, and has been writing and performing spoken word in and around that state since she was fifteen. She was the 2007 and 2008 South Bay Youth Slam Champion, and has had the honor of being part of three San Jose youth teams. She recently moved to BC, where she has been consistently impressed by the warmth and enthusiasm of the Vancouver arts scenes.

Chris Gilpin (aka Faust McKenzie) is a member of the 2007-08 Vancouver Poetry Slam Team, the runner-up in the 2008 Vancouver Individual Poetry Slam playoff, and the champion of Vancouver's 2008 Haiku Death Match. In the summer of 2006, he toured the Canadian Fringe circuit with his play "87% True: The Lies That Bind", co-created with Rosemary Rowe. His literary work has been published in Vancouver Review, Forget Magazine, 42opus, The GIG, and others. Chris also performs as Dr. WTF?? in the interactive, multimedia clown rock band, Awesome Face.

Duncan Shields is a computer animator for video games. He also likes to write. He grew up in Nelson, British Columbia and now lives in Vancouver after a five year stint in Edinburgh, Scotland. He's a bit of a freak for movies and misses working in the video store. He has a mildly large collection of comics, DVDs and toys. He's trying his hardest to earn a living by being creative any way he can. He has blue eyes, a few tattoos, he's a libra, enjoys the rain and likes bland burritos. He's happy to be here.

Relevant is a 21 year old poet, with a WHOLE lot to say... Born in D'jibouti Africa and moved to Canada as a child, Relevant uses aspects of African life, aswell as western style of living in his poetry, hopefully in a way that everyone can relate. Organizer of such events as Speak Night, and the most recent "Floetics", Relevant is the winner of the 2008 Pan African Slam, and a regular participant in the Van Slam community. His main mission is to get you to think.