Media Release
January 18, 2021
| Presented by the Arts Council of New Westminster: Comedian & Performer Tin Lorica prepares for Poets+ debut |
With the Poets+ virtual performance about to debut, poet, writer and comedian Tin Lorica is preparing to slam for the first time in over a year.
It’s a craft they’re returning to after focusing primarily on comedy, hosting the recurring stand-up event Millennial Line at Red Gate. Poets+ is giving them that opportunity to share their more serious, vulnerable material again.
“Basically, I miss it. I really want to do it again,” said Lorica, about performing slam poetry.
“Even before the pandemic started, a lot of my work and my energy was really being put towards doing stand-up. You can be poetic in comedy and use your words really well in a way that’s not mainstream stand-up, so I was trying to access more of my vulnerability. I missed using that voice because that’s where I started writing, was with poetry.”
While there will be bits of humour sprinkled into their set, most of it will be centred on their experiences of diaspora and yearning to connect with the local arts and culture scene during the pandemic.
They’re excited to get back to sharing the feelings that bubbled up during the pandemic — especially alongside the other poets: Jillian Christmas, Justin Percival, and Tawahum Bige.
“When we were filming, even before people got a chance to see their stuff in front of the camera, I could just feel people being really excited to be in there and share their art,” they said.
Poets+ was curated by Tawahum Bige and organized by Stephen O’Shea from the Arts Council of New Westminster.
The performance can be watched comfortably at home. To learn more, visit the project’s website.
Learn more about Poets+ here.
| BACKGROUND: An exciting new collection of performances from emerging poets of color is debuting through the Arts Council of New Westminster (ACNW) in 2022. To be officially released on Jan. 14, the hour-long compilation was curated by Łutselkʼe Dene, Plains Cree poet and spoken word Tawahum Bige. In Poets+, Bige performs alongside Nisga’a spoken word/hip hop artist Justin Percival, queer Filipinx comedian Tin Lorica, and creative facilitator Jillian Christmas. Together, they cover themes of identity, oppression, and reconciliation. The project was recorded and filmed at Fifth Chord Studios in New Westminster last summer. When it is released in the new year, it will be available to view through YouTube and Earshot digital Distribution System. |
| Media Contact: Aly Laube To interview the artists or organizers, reach out to me here or at 7788081400. |
