As I’m writing these words, I would like my readers to know how much words are powerful but I’ve found another beautiful soul to express it better than I could: Tawhida Tanya Evanson.

For Tawhida, words are more than a cordial email you send out to your employer; it’s a way of life. She wears many hats, whether it’s doing spoken word, slam or more recently being an author.

She embodies this idea that words can actually move and impact the world. Today we wanted to know her journey as she’s becoming a worldwide phenomenon in front of our very eyes.

In this interview we get to dive into her inspiration, how she become involved with the art form and more. Enjoy!

1-Did you find spoken word or did spoken word find you?

Spoken word found me in 1996 at ISART Gallery in Old Montreal for an event called QUE ES DIVA?. I was invited as a feature among several multidisciplinary performers that night. One of the poems I read was called Stuck in the Anus of Time and it received a standing ovation. I was twenty three years old, my parents were in the audience, and I was hooked. 

2- What’s your creative process when you write?

I used to write longhand in a journal whenever the muse came for a visit. Then every few months I’d sift through the text to see if anything could be crafted into a poem. Now I write directly on the computer by using a specific album to condition myself into sitting down and writing for long stretches. Every project has a soundtrack. It is through music, that I Pavlov-myself intro writing. But I do like to edit on paper, outside in Nature.

3–Is it more difficult to perform your art in front of a public than to put it in a book format. 

The work tells me how it wants to live. I try to get out of the way.

4-If you had to pick one medium, whether it’s being an author, in studio or a performer. Which one would it be and why?

I operate in the continuum of the griot. Also known as jali or jeli in Manding, griot is a French word that refers to the West African keepers of oral history. A griot’s job description is storyteller, poet, genealogist, historian, adviser, spokesperson, diplomat, mediator, interpreter, translator, musician, composer, teacher, entertainer, exhorter, warrior, witness, praise-singer and ceremony participant. A single label doesn’t work here. 

5-You are involved in every aspect of your art form, whether in the administration side through your role at Banff Centre Spoken Word program or as an artist and author. Is it easy to navigate between the 2 worlds? 

The corpus callosum connects the left and right side of the brain and I like to walk that bridge. An arts practice requires focused creativity, and for those without management or agents, it also takes administrative skills. As Mother Tongue Media, I’ve been producing live arts events since 1996 and so there’s been time to polish up the organizing skills. Like anything, it took practice. And since becoming a full-time artist in 2012, I’ve been able to find middle ground between arts creation and administration.

6-Your new book ‘’Book Of Wings’’ got you through a difficult breakup. Do you think artists can heal through their art and if so what was that process for you?

For the writer, a blank page can be a mirror or simply a blank page for the imagination to go wild. Either way, all human beings are creative and artistic regardless of whether or not they call themselves artists. I believe art-making is simply good for mental health. I like to write down my inner world in order to try and see it clearly from various angles. I then mythologize it to bring a circularity to the ruins. There is always a lesson to be learned from inner archeological digs.

7-You just received the price  ‘’Prix Nouvel Apport 2022’’ for your work, how did you react when you first got the news?

I had requested from the universe that this novel receive a prize, so the news was a thankful surprise. I have been given the uncanny ability to ask for things that then materialize. I can ask for what I need, but never what I want, and never on behalf of another. Details are useless. It’s a strange state of affairs, but magical nonetheless.

8-What do you want your legacy to be as an artist?

If you’ve received Beauty, then I’ve done my job.

9-What’s next for you? 

I wrote, performed and produced an Afrofuturist live concert film called Cyano Sun Suite with musicians from Montreal’s Kalmunity Vibe Collective that will premiere in spring 2023. It uses levels of scientific organization as metaphors to explore a changing planet and my own aging black body. I am also currently translating my novel Book of Wings into French for Marchand de Feuille. It’s a luscious life – give thanks.

Everything you need to know about the Montreal Mural Arts Festival is here !

This is the 7th edition of the festival.

It all started from the dream of 4 men who loved traveling around the world to attend the planet’s best festivals. Alexis Froissart, Andre Bathalon, Yan Cordeau and Nicolas Munn Rico (founders of the Mural festival) noticed there was a gap in the market.

 

Photography & Poetry : The Perfect Match

Photography is one of the most powerful art form ever invented.Montreal is well known for its unique selection of restaurants but what makes it an incredible city is the amount of raw talent you can find on every corner. Pritchard Jérôme aka Trilla is an artist that truly defines the terms «jack of all trades».

Read Also: 5 Youtube Channels To Activate The Right Side Of Your Brain (And Kill Time Too!) 

He creates beats, he showcases Montreal’s diversity through portraits and produces short films with two of his best allies allies : his creativity and what we usually call «having the eye». He submited to us a nice album called «Skin» where he manifests his overall perception of beauty through poetry while giving his subject substance with incredible shots!

“Skin” Art Of The Female Body.

Cc: Trilla Photography

She stepped out with a smile.

I overheard a conversation from across the pool

Cc: Trilla Photography

A conversation between two men defining beauty.

But who can define the word

“Beauty”?

Cc: Trilla Photography

Her demeanour was everything.

I analyzed her bathing suit with every sultry step she took.

The way it clung to her body in a brilliantly modest way

The men speaking of beauty caught her golden strut and froze

Cc: Trilla Photography

She walked past in what seemed like slow motion

They thawed.

The End

About Trilla

Hi , my name is Pritchard Jerome. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti & raised in Miami, Florida. I take great pride in capturing the true spirit and personality of the people and subjects that I photograph. I fell in love with photography 2 years after buying my first digital camera. My style has been described as creative , fun , professional & energetic.

In the past years i’ve learned to appreciate all the small things that make up the beautiful world we live in , the beautiful faces & souls that I’ve crossed paths with during my journey. The best part of my job is that I get to be part of the fun. Getting to know my clients, sharing knowledge and telling their story, is what inspires me.

I specialize in portraits, lifestyle, street, fashion & event photography.

Stay Positive & Create !

About Samira

Samira is a multi-talented creative hailing from west coast British Coumbia. In the modelling industry for more than 8 years. She moved to Montreal, Quebec to pursue many of her goals such as activism with BLM MTL movement, her music career as a producer and singer song-writer and of course her modelling career.

Follow Trilla

Facebook