Tuesday, April 1, 2025 (Montreal): Kama La Mackerel, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, Tawhida Tanya Evanson
Join League Poet Ambassador in Residence Tanya Tawhida Evanson at P'tit Ours in Montreal for poetry performances by Kama La Mackerel and Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, followed by an open mic.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 | 7pm doors | P'tit Ours
National Poetry Month: Liberation Family
Poetry performance featuring Kama La Mackerel & Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
Followed by an open mic and hosted by Tawhida Tanya Evanson
P'tit Ours, 5589 Park Ave, Montreal
Doors: 7pm | Showtime: 8pm | FREE
Kama La Mackerel
Kama La Mackerel is a Mauritian-Canadian writer, visual artist, performer, translator, and educator whose work explores themes of decolonization, queer and trans identity, and ancestral healing. Author of award winning book ZOM-FAM (Metonymy Press) and Indrazaal et la quête de l’océan (Éditions Kata), Kama’s writing merges Kreol, French, and English to craft hybrid, multilingual spaces that honor diasporic and trans voices. They have translated the works of queer and trans authors such as Vivek Shraya, Kai Cheng Thom, and Valérie Bah. They are a part-time faculty member in the Department of Contemporary Dance at Concordia University. As an educator, Kama nurtures emerging LGBTQ+ and racialized artists, fostering spaces for artistic risk and authentic expression, guiding them in creating work that challenges colonial narratives and uplifts marginalized perspectives.
Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
Natasha Kanapé Fontaine is an Innu writer, poet and interdisciplinary artist from Pessamit, on the Nitassinan (North Shore, Quebec, Canada). She lives in Tio'tia:ke - known as Montreal. Her poetic works and essays are recognized and acclaimed by critics, travel the world, translated into several languages and are studied at several levels in schools in Quebec and elsewhere. In 2017, she received the Rights and Freedoms Award for her poetry and her contribution on bringing people closer through art, writing, performance, dialogue - for future generations to grow through sharing, respect and exchanges between cultures. At only 29 years old, she was already amongst the public figures who took part into the recognition of the Indigenous peoples of Quebec, in Canada and elsewhere in the world. In 2021, she received the grade of Chevalier de l'Ordre des arts et des lettres de la République française. She works as well as a translator, screenwriter, consultant on Indigenous literature and a sensitivity reader.
Kama La Mackerel est une écrivaine, artiste visuelle, performeuse, traductrice et éducatrice mauricienne-canadienne dont le travail explore les thèmes de la décolonisation, de l’identité queer et trans, et de la guérison ancestrale. Autrice du livre primé ZOM-FAM (Metonymy Press) et de Indrazaal et la quête de l’océan (Éditions Kata), Kama mêle le créole, le français et l’anglais pour créer des espaces hybrides et multilingues qui rendent hommage aux voix diasporiques et trans. Iel a traduit les oeuvres d’auteur·ices queer et trans comme Vivek Shraya, Kai Cheng Thom et Valérie Bah. Iel est chargé·e de cours au Département de danse contemporaine de l’Université Concordia. En tant qu’éducatrice, Kama accompagne des émergent·es LGBTQ+ et racisé·es, créant des espaces propices à la prise de risques artistiques et à l’expression authentique, les guidant dans la création d’oeuvres qui défient les récits coloniaux et valorisent les perspectives marginalisées.
Natasha Kanapé Fontaine est une écrivaine, poète et artiste interdisciplinaire innu, originaire de la communauté de Pessamit, sur le Nitassinan (Côte-Nord, Québec, Canada). Elle vit à Tio’tia:ke - connu sous le nom de Montréal. Ses oeuvres poétiques et ses essais sont reconnus et salués par la critique, voyagent dans le monde, traduits en plusieurs langues et sont à l’étude à plusieurs niveaux dans les écoles du Québec et d’ailleurs. En 2017, elle reçoit le Prix Droits et Libertés pour sa poésie et sa démarche de rapprochement des peuples par l’art, l’écriture, la performance, le dialogue – pour contribuer à faire en sorte que les prochaines générations sauront vivre ensemble dans le partage, le respect et l’échange entre les cultures. À seulement 29 ans, elle figurait déjà parmi les personnalités publiques ayant participé à la reconnaissance des peuples autochtones du Québec, autant ici qu’ailleurs dans le monde. En 2021, elle a été promue au grade de Chevalier de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres de la République française. Elle travaille également en traduction, scénarisation,
Tawhida Tanya Evanson
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.