Tawhida Tanya Evanson is a poet, novelist, artist and Ashiq known for her work blending poetry, orality, music and multimedia. Born and based in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, she performs internationally, has produced five audio recordings, six short films and the award-winning Afrofuturist concert film CYANO SUN SUITE, which premiered in 2024. Evanson has two published poetry collections and her debut novel Book of Wings won the 2022 CAM/Blue Metropolis New Contribution Prize. Her French autotranslation Livre des ailes was published in 2023. Evanson's work explores themes of African diasporic identity and Sufi spirituality, and she has received acclaim at home and abroad for her captivating performances and unique approach to poetry. She produces multimedia events as Mother Tongue Media, is recognized for her role as director of the Banff Centre Spoken Word program and is current president of the Quebec Writers' Federation. She moonlights as a whirling dervish.