Don McSwiney, MA, ABC Calgary Arts Development
Dear members of the Selection Committee,
It’s my honour to nominate Wakefield Brewster to be Calgary’s Poet Laureate.
I first saw Wakefield performing live at a fundraiser event some years ago. He was electric. It wasn’t just his rapid-fire and frenetic performance which bristled with energy, and eloquence that was captivating. For me it was also the way he bent language to his will. His verse easily crossed lines of poetry, prose and lyric animated by the flow of rap and hip-hop – but not defined by it.
I was equally impressed by the connection he made with the diverse audience at the event. The bustle and din of conversation stopped and young and old stopped to listen. I was impressed both by the caliber of his poetry and the real connection he made with the audience.
Since then I have had the pleasure to see Wakefield perform at numerous events, and even managed to sponsor him to perform for functions at the University of Calgary. His magic happens every time. He seems to make that special connection happen every time. University students love him, kids love him, seniors love him and more importantly they listen to him.
Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it – his peers and the larger community have decorated him many times over the years and members of the committee will recognize him as a previous finalist for this position. Some of his other achievements include winning the Calgary Poetry Slam competition from 2006-09, being selected as Resident Poet and Spoken Word Artist for The Grand Theatre. He has also published four anthologies of this work and released two performance recordings.
So why do I believe Wakefield Brewster would be the best candidate to be Calgary’s Poet Laureate? If I had to choose one word, it would be: Possibilities.
In an age where poetry has to find new friends and new audiences, his unique style cuts through and speaks to the possibilities of language and opens up new worlds of possibility for his audience. His approach is almost like an “entry level drug” to the world of literature. An invitation to look below the surface in an age where most people’s relationship to the written word is done in 120 characters or less. Where eloquence is often expressed by combining emojis. Yet people listen to Wakefield who seems to glory in a baroque celebration of language, savouring its feel, rhythm and potential to cut. In one of his performances he made me think of Gerald Manley Hopkins and Tyler the Creator within one verse. Magic.
Finally, I’ll also say that Wakefield also brings possibilities to his audience. I have attended many functions in the literary community (as I’m sure you have) that were whiter than an Alberta March day. Wakefield’s perspective and approach necessarily interrupts the frame of reference and brings the “Other” to these gatherings. At the same time, he also signifies to people of colour that poetry and the written arts are really also for them.
That their stories, their reality, their very language, their experience is as important as any one else’s. That the reality of Calgary, Canada is reflected in many authentic voices that you won’t find in the Norton Anthology of Canadian Literature or on Coach’s Corner for that matter.
His work as an advocate for marginalized people, for addictions and recovery and mental wellness suggests that as Calgary’s Poet Laureate he will be a voice that speaks about all of our experience. A voice that not-so-gently reminds us that we might all be in the same place, but we certainly don’t all start from the same place, socially, culturally and geographically.
I believe he’ll open the world of the possibilities of the spoken word for people who might be looking for new ways to find and define meaning in what often seems to be a chaotic and senseless age. I think he’ll bring us together.
Finally, I’ll close with the rhetorical device that convention says should have come first – the part where I establish my credentials as an expert you should listen to! I will say that I’m a former English major who ran CJSW 91FM for a decade, before working as a journalist for CBC radio and television and finally as a communications director for the University of Calgary. I’ve also performed in numerous bands, including the Dino Martinis for the last 25 years or so. The sum of these experiences has made me appreciate the places where performance and community come together. It’s made me appreciate stories including the fictions that we create for ourselves as to who we are and where we fit in society.
As a long-time Calgarian I’ve seen this city grow – from the time I was at Bishop Grandin High School where there was one (I kid you not) Black kid – to the vibrant and increasingly multicultural city we enjoy today.
I think Wakefield Brewster would be a perfect Poet Laureate, reflecting the energy and vitality of today’s Calgary. Celebrating his love of language and big ideas and taking a world of possibilities with him, whenever he steps on stage.
Yours truly,
Don McSwiney, MA, ABC
Sunday, July 02, 2023