IF the Poet

Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 9 PM on CBC-TV

Ian Keteku
2010 World Cup of Slam Poetry Winner

Keteku is a poet, musician and freelance journalist raised by Ghanaian parents who follows a long line of African storytellers by paying homage to the past by revisiting stories and themes from previous generations.

In 2008 he finally discovered spoken work through a friend who invited him to a slam event in Ottawa. A short two years later, he became the first Canadian to ever win the World Cup of Slam

In 2015, he released Love and Lumumba, his second spoken word album mixed with electronic melodies, an new genre he calls 'Poetronica' (Poetry + Electronica).

Twitter: @ianketeku

Mary Pinkoski
2008 National CBC Poetry Face-off Champ

In 2013, Pinkoski began a two-year term Edmonton's Poet Laureate an honour that saw her present at more than 200 public events and wrote 30 original Edmonton-themed poems - including a moving tribute to Const. Daniel Woodall who was killed in the line of duty in June 2015.

She's also dedicated to working with young poets and started the city's new Youth Poet Laureate program.

Find Pinkoski online.

R.C. Weslowski
2012 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Winner

RC has been a spoken word poet since 1998 when he wandered into a slam in Vancouver and thought, "I can do that." Since then he's toured North America and parts of Europe with his unique brand of poetic madness.

He's also the creative force behind Mashed Poetics, a spoken word and musical mashup where poets are accompanied by a band to perform tracks from iconic albums like Prince's Purple Rain and Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill.

Find RC online.

PruFrock Shadowrunner
2015 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Winner

PruFrock is a mamber of Ottawa's Capital Slam team and a recent member of the 2014 national championship slam team from Toronto. "I don't play basketball anymore, so slam is my game," he says.

But that's not all. Prufrock is also billed as a rapper, actor and a DJ. He's a member of hip hop group, The Missing LinX, and says, "my real, true love is DJing." Whether behind a set of turntables or a microphone, he's an artist to watch.

Sabrina Benaim
2014 Canadian National Team Slam Champion

Benaim is a spoken word poet who rocketed to fame in late 2014 with an incredible poem, Explaining My Depression to My Mother, which has been viewed over two million time on YouTube.

In it she says, "Mom, my depression is a shapeshifter. One day it's as small as a firefly in the palm of a bear, the next it's the bear. On those days I play dead until the bear leaves me alone." The video sparked hundreds of memes and resonated with people around the world.

Find Sabrina online.