About
An evening of unapologetic, uncensored Black brilliance through the spoken word. Featuring local and international guest poets. For the first time ever, curator and producer, Dwayne Morgan, merges his two signature events into one captivating evening.
When Brothers Speak is the continent’s largest and longest-running showcase of Black male spoken word artists: raw, powerful and emotionally resonant. When Sisters Speak, its equally celebrated counterpart, features the bold and beautiful voices of Black women, telling their truths with honesty and fire.
Now, visionary curator and Scarborough Walk of Fame inductee Dwayne Morgan merges his two signature events into one unforgettable night. Featuring a lineup of local and international artists, this combined experience brings together the voices of Black men and women in a dynamic celebration of lived experience, identity, and resilience.
This is not the poetry you studied in school. This is soul-stirring storytelling. This is community. This is history in the making. Join us for a night that will move you, challenge you and stay with you long after the final word is spoken.
Dwayne Morgan
Dwayne Morgan is a two-time Canadian National Poetry Slam Champion. He began his career as a spoken word artist in 1993. In 1994, he founded Up From The Roots to promote the positive artistic contributions of African Canadian and urban-influenced artists.
Morgan is the 2022 winner of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Celebration of Cultural Life award, the 2018 winner of the Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award for Career Achievement in the Spoken Word and the 2016 finalist for the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 2013, Morgan was inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame. He has received the African Canadian Achievement Award and the Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in the Arts.
Morgan has performed for the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, the former Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean and the late leader of the NDP, Jack Layton. He has shared the stage with many of Canada’s top artists, including Russell Peters, while opening for international artist Alicia Keys and recording with Canadian artists, including Drake.
Morgan has published fourteen collections. In 2009, his work was translated into French, culminating in the book Le Making of d’un Homme. He also has nine albums of his work to his credit.
Eddie Lartey
Eddie Lartey is a Hamiltonian wordsmith whose craft eloquently addresses themes of love, despair and triumph within the Black experience. He blends his masterful wordplay with heartwarming storytelling to foster a better world for all. With over a decade of performances on both national and international stages, Lartey has garnered numerous accolades that highlight his exceptional talent. His impressive achievements include winning the Toronto International Poetry Slam in 2019, the Canadian Individual Poetry Championship in 2022, the slam of the Americas in Brazil and recently he earned a remarkable 5th place at the World Poetry Slam. Additionally, he was recognized as one of the Top 40 Under 40 and his recent poetry collection, Barcode, just won Hamilton Literary Award! His art invites and inspires us to build a more just and compassionate world, one poem at a time
Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony
Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony is an award-winning artist, curator, arts educator and creative consultant. Her accomplishments include being featured in When Sisters Speak, co-curating Scarborough: The Backbone as part of Toronto’s Year of Public Art, co-producing the Spoken Soul Festival and representing Toronto as a two-time national team finalist in the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. In 2019 she was a TEDx speaker and in 2020 an excerpt of her play How Jab Jab Saved the Pretty Mas was featured as part of Piece of Mine’s Black Women in Theatre Festival.
Her work and leadership in the community sector was recognized as she was the recipient of the Toronto Community Foundation Vital People Award and again when she was recognized as one of 150 Black Women Making Herstory (as featured on CBC) for her contribution to building the arts scene in Toronto.
Desiree Mckenzie
Desiree Mckenzie is an award-winning poet, arts educator, national poetry slam champion and voice actor living in Toronto. Her poetry and voice have been featured in works for CBC’s Poetic License series, When Sisters Speak, Clearco Financial, Button Poetry, Kids Help Phone and Home Depot. She facilitates a range of community poetry programs for organizations such as JAYU, VIBE Arts, Unity Charity and Poetry in Voice. Her debut spoken word EP, Wet Hair, is now available on streaming platforms. In December 2022, she opened for Rupi Kaur on her world tour stop at Massey Hall. She is currently an MFA candidate in the University of Guelph Creative Writing program and working on her first book of poetry.
Chukky Ibe
Chukky Ibe is a dynamic storyteller, gifted folklorist and compelling spoken word artist whose work bridges the traditional and the contemporary. With roots deeply embedded in oral traditions and a voice attuned to the rhythms of modern life, Ibe brings stories to life with a lyrical blend of authenticity, emotion and insight.
A finalist at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word and the runner-up at the Ontario International Poetry Slam, Ibe has captivated audiences across Canada with performances that explore identity, memory, heritage and the subtle magic woven into everyday existence. His artistry draws from a rich cultural history, blending elements of folklore, mythology and lived experience to create work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Whether performing on stage or sharing tales in intimate community settings, Ibe invites listeners into a world where language dances, tradition breathes and the ordinary is illuminated with wonder. He is a firm believer in the power of stories to heal, connect and transform. And his work continues to leave an indelible mark wherever it is heard.
Queen Sheba
Queen Sheba is a 2025 and 2024 Grammy-nominated artist in the Spoken Word-Poetry category for Album of the Year for her 10th album, CIVIL WRITES: The South Got Something to Say. The album also includes the single for the viral video: “Killer MIC,” which speaks to her journey south.
This time, not only was Queen Sheba nominated for Best Poetry Album of the Year, she was also selected to present at the 2025 Grammys during the Premier Ceremony! Black History Month 2025 Lexus USA, ALL DEF DIGITAL and DPL (Da Poetry Lounge) Productions, which produced a documentary about Queen Sheba’s life, the Grammys and being a black poet. A huge moment for the Queen Sheba as well as the Spoken Word community, as one of the first major “follows” produced by a commercialized company that sought to maintain the integrity of the Spoken Word culture. Sheba is a two-time NAACP Image Award nominee, Creative Loafing’s People’s Choice Spoken Word Artist of the Year, and the recipient of the City of Atlanta, PATREON & Furious Flower artist grants.
Queen Sheba is the Founder of Poetry vs. Hip-Hop, the acclaimed touring stage show and production company, which has given away almost a million dollars in its tenure, producing shows in over 25 cities and is currently touring City Winery venues across the country.
Queen Sheba earned her MFA from Queens University of Charlotte and is the author of several books, including but not limited to: From Foster Care to Fame, her first book of poems and short stories and Run Ugly! A motivational book for runners. Her second book of poems, Clemency: poems to help you get over the apologies you will never receive, edited by her graduate professors as her graduating thesis, [but not limited to], National Book Award Nominee Claudia Rankin and National Book Award Winner Ada Limon, is due out August 11 2025.
Corporate collaborations include but aren’t limited to: Lululemon, City Winery, Reebok/Rockport, Red Bull, United Way, Les Brown, Angela Davis. With a 24-year journey as a touring Spoken Word poet, Atlanta’s V103 guest radio personality alongside Joyce Littel, 5 years as Clark Atlanta’s Creative Writing Professor, The Gentlemen’s Foundation “Gentle Woman of Artistry of the Year” Award LGBT community and HIV Prevention award recipient, comedian, mother, dog-mom and bathroom concert singer, Sheba’s stage show and workshops will level up your corporate, college or community experience.
Obbie West
Obbie West is a native of Los Angeles and a retiree from the United States Army. West is an international Spoken Word artist. He is the author and writer of a poetry book entitled, Blossom, and a ooetry album entitled, Unstable Man. West’s life with poetry began in 2011 in Killeen, Texas under the tutoring of the Killeen Poetry Slam Team. He travels the world, presenting life depicting poetry on a variety of topics. He also uses poetry as a form of a social activism. He has invested a personal and sincere interest in bringing awareness to taboo topics, like sexual assault.
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