On Wednesday, September 21 at 6pm, join Massy Arts, Massy Books, and Surrey-based poet/spoken word artist D Fretter for “Discovery Poetry 2: Cultivating Compassion”, a hybrid between open mic and workshop intended for BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth and young adults.
Host D Fretter says: “These days compassion seems like to be lacking. Art can be key in cultivating compassion for the artist and those experiencing their work. At the last Discovery Poetry night, we explored authenticity. This time, we will take things further and get vulnerable with ourselves in order to plant the seeds of compassion.”.
This in-person event will present readings from poets Fanny Kearse, Nadia Alikashani, and Alisha Davidson. Investigating two steps to compassion (to inhale pain, and to exhale joy), artists and attendees will explore the artform of poetry, particularly spoken word, as a tool for dialoguing about this process/practice.
This event is free + open to all of our community, and registration is mandatory. The gallery is wheelchair accessible and a gender-neutral washroom is on-site.
Covid Protocols: For all in-person events, attendees must provide proof of vaccination, wear a mask (N95 masks are encouraged and recommended as they offer the best protection), and consent to having their temperature checked at the front door. We ask that if you are showing any symptoms, that you stay home. Thank you kindly.
Please be sure to register for this event.
You can purchase Joy & Misery by D Fretter at Massy Books.
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Readers
In an act of courageous rebellion, Fanny Kearse walked away from nearly a decade as a social worker and headed west to pursue lifelong dreams of being a poet and disrupting the system to be more diverse, inclusive and equitable. Fanny fuses her experience as a social worker and lived experiences as a justice seeking human to express her artivism through means of poetry and storytelling. More creating, more healing, more JOY!
Nadia Alikashani is a second generation migrant of Iranian descent, living on the unceded and ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Sto:lo peoples. She is an interdisciplinary artist who primarily works with painting and poetry. In their works, they explore how mental illness and intergenerational racial trauma affect youth, including herself, and also delve into the feelings, frustrations, and love in the long, everlasting process of healing.
Alisha Davidson (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist of Jamaican decent living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. A theatre graduate of Canterbury Arts High School and Studio 58, Alisha performed in two musical plays; Hacked: The Treasure of the Empire and Nomadic Tempest with the Caravan Stage Company. They performed as Mz Nancy in Mx for the 2019 Vancouver Fringe and reprised the role in 2021. Alisha has studied Pochinko clown, participated in Rumble Theatre’s Director’s Lab and Green Thumb Theatre’s Playwright’s Gym. Alisha recently completed The Writer’s Studio specializing in poetry, and the role of Assistant Director for Da Kink In My Hair at the Art’s Club. This year Alisha is co-producing the 3rd annual Unbound Reading Series, a celebratory showcase featuring the literary stylings of local Black writers.
After stealing his older sister’s guitar, D Fretter (He/Him) began writing songs at the age of 17. Since then, his songs have amassed tens of thousands of streams across various DSPs. D’s lyricism has often shone through his music, and he decided to focus more on the words and found his way to poetry. Sometimes, the truth sounds sweet enough without a melody. As a poet D has been described as “…like a hip-hop Andrea Gibson…” and has received praise from poets like In-Q, Sabrina Benaim, and Brandon Leake. D writes introspectively about life, love, and his own personal narrative.