#905RoadShow's @_NathanBaya just dropped his first album, Reasons to Grind, to start your Friday right https://t.co/srofsNaklM
— Diaspora Dialogues (@ddialogues) March 11, 2016
The 905 Road Show Recap: Black Creek Edition
Thank you to everyone who came out and participated in the 905 Road Show in Black Creek, North York. We couldn’t have done it without our talented group of performers, Yorkgate Mall, the York University TD Community Engagement Centre, North York Arts, AVNU, and, of course, our audience members.
We loved bringing the Road Show to North York, and felt so welcome at Yorkgate Mall. Denise Deion, artist, songwriter, and producer, hosted the afternoon guiding audiences through a relaxed day of readings, music and more from some of North York’s very own. The show opened with a wonderful performance by The Real Sun and her extremely talented band.
Next up was the lovely Sheniz Janmohamed who gave a thought-provoking poetry reading. Sheniz has published two collections of poetry—Bleeding Light(Mawenzi House, 2011) and Firesmoke (Mawenzi House, 2014). Lalo Moreno, sound engineer and recording artist, followed Sheniz with an insightful socially conscious hip-hop performance.
Anna Yin, Mississauga’s poet laureate, gave a nod to our venue by reading some food-themed poetry, and works from her published collections. Next up was local emerging artist Kareem Bennett who gave a wonderful spoken word performance.
Audience members were treated to a dramatic reading performed by singer and actor Elle Trema and written by Masani Montague, executive director, Upfront Theatre Foundation. Elle also wowed us with an a cappella rendition of two of her hit songs, “No Regrets” and “Strong Women.” Last but certainly not least, Nathan Baya gave an inspiring spoken word performance about social media, and closed the show with a track from his upcoming album Reasons to Grind.
We thoroughly enjoyed touring around the GTA and can’t wait to do it again! To stay up-to-date on all of DD’s events, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our events feed.
2016 Long Form and Playwright Mentorships
We’re happy to announce Diaspora Dialogues’ 2016 Long Form Mentorship participants.
In January 2016, established authors will mentor emerging writers in the development of a full novel, short story, or poetry manuscript.
Our mentors are:
The writers receiving mentorship are:
- Dianne Scott (novel)
- Edward Lee (novel)
- Jo Jefferson (poetry)
- Megan Lambe (novel)
- Rasiqra Revulva (poetry)
- Reema Patel (novel)
- Silmi Abdullah (short stories)
On the playwright front, emerging playwrights will work with professional dramaturges in the year-long development of a full-length play.
Our mentors are:
- Guillermo Verdecchia, (Soulpepper Theatre)
- Jivesh Parasram, (Theatre Passe Muraille)
- Jennifer Brewin, (Common Boots Theatre)
The playwrights receiving mentorship are:
Be sure to visit our website regularly for in-depth profiles of the writers and playwrights and their works-in-progress.
The Art of Performance Workshop
Join The Real Sun and Lalo Moreno for a free one-hour workshop on the art of performance.
On Sunday, January 31, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., The Real Sun and Lalo Moreno will host a workshop on musical expression and performance.
The workshop will be held at: York University
TD Engagement Centre, Room 209
1 York Gate Blvd.
Black Creek, North York
The workshop is free to attend; however, spaces are limited so please register here.
The Art of Poetry Workshop
On Sunday, January 31, 2016, Sheniz Janmohamed and Anna Yin will host a free one-hour workshop on the art of poetry.
From 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sheniz Janmohamed will host a workshop on nature writing. Anna Yin will follow with a Haiku workshop from 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The workshop will be held at: York University
TD Engagement Centre, Room 209
1 York Gate Blvd.
Black Creek, North York
The workshop is free to attend; however, spaces are limited so please register here.
The 905 Road Show: A Creativity Cabaret—Black Creek
Diaspora Dialogues is bringing its 905 Road Show to Black Creek, North York in partnership with Yorkgate Mall, York University’s TD Community Engagement Centre, and North York Arts.
The show features a mash-up of readings, performances, and more. Come out and be a part of a relaxed afternoon of entertainment featuring some of North York’s very own.
Including:
- The Real Sun, singer, songwriter, and performing artist
- Anna Yin, Mississauga’s inaugural poet laureate
- Sheniz Janmohamed, spoken word artist
- Lalo Moreno, sound engineer and recording artist
- Kareem Bennett, recording artist, youth mentor, and poet
- Nathan Baya, dancer, spoken word artist, and hip-hop artist
- Masani Montague, playwright and executive director, Upfront Theatre Foundation
- Elle Trema, singer, songwriter, and actor
Hosted by: Denise Deion, artist, songwriter and producer.
And more!
The show will take place on Sunday, January 31 at York Gate Mall’s food court (1 York Gate Blvd., North York) beginning at 12:00 p.m. Admission is free. Register here.
Following the Road Show, two mentor workshops will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Stay tuned or subscribe to our events feed for more details.
