2013 Spoken Word Mentorship
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The 2013 Spoken Word Mentorship Program will bring together a group of four young poets who are interested in exploring the art of performance poetry. Together, they will work with two professional mentors who are leaders in Vancouver’s spoken word community: Brendan McLeod and Jillian Christmas. Through a series of one-on-one and group sessions, the mentors will lead the participants through the process of creating poetry that is intended for the stage.
Along the way, participants will also meet with some of the city’s top arts administrators and industry professionals for skill-building workshops in areas such as media relations and grant writing. These Industry Sessions are specifically designed to assist young artists who wish to pursue a career in the arts.
The program culminates in a showcase at The Cultch, one of Canada’s premiere performing arts venues. The mentors will work with the participants to bring a collaborative work to The Cultch’s stage. The content and nature of this performance is entirely up to the participants.
Deadline to apply is January 15, 2013. It is free to apply. Participants are chosen in early-February by a jury
made up of the mentors and The Cultch’s Youth Program Manager.
About the Mentors
Brendan McLeod
 Brendan McLeod is a former Vancouver and Canadian SLAM poetry champion. He is the author of a book, a play, and a full length monologue, and a member of The Fugitives folk group and a kid’s group for adults called Awesome Face. He teaches spoken word at Langara College and runs a Travellin’ SLAM through Canadian high schools.
www.brendanmcleod.ca
www.fugitives.ca
Jillian Christmas
 Jillian Christmas was born and raised in Markham, Ontario. She currently lives in Vancouver, BC. where she serves as co-director of Versəs Festival of Words . She is the 2011 Vancouver BedRocc Grand slam champion, as well as the 2012 Vancouver Poetry Slam grand champion. She is an enthusiastic activist and organizer within the Canadian poetry community, working with programs such as Wordplay to facilitate spoken word workshops for youth across the country. In her free time she keeps busy touring the west coast and experimenting with music/ poetry fusion alongside powerhouse vocalist Chelsea D. E. Johnson.
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