The Mama of Dada – Sheri-D Wilson -poet, playwright, performer, film-maker, essayist, teacher, producer, and activist.
She has seven collections of poetry: Bulls Whip & Lambs Wool (1989, Petarade Press), Swerve (1993, Arsenal Pulp Press), Girl’s Guide to Giving Head (1996, Arsenal Pulp Press), The Sweet Taste of Lightning (1998, Arsenal Pulp Press), Between Lovers (2002, Arsenal Pulp Press), Re:Zoom (2005, Frontenac House – which won the 2006 Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry), and most recently, Autopsy Of A Turvy World (2008, Frontenac House).
Sheri-D has two Spoken Word CD’s – both arranged by Russell Broom: sweet taste of lightning (2001), and Re:Cord (2007). She is well-known for her 4 award-winning VideoPoems produced for BravoFACT: Airplane Paula (2001), Spinsters Hanging in Trees (2002 – which won Gold at Houston Film Festival, three ACE awards, and the 2003 AMPIA for best short or vignette), Surf Rave Girrly Girrl (2004), and The Panty Portal (2008).
Of the beat tradition, in 1989 she studied at Naropa (The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics). Sheri-D Wilson won the 1st CBC Poetry Face-off for Alberta and her work is featured on CBC’s Word Beat, Sounds like Canada, Canada Reads and ZED TV. In 2003 she won the title “Heavyweight of Poetry†for the USA in a Bumbershoot Bout against Andrei Codrescu. In 2005, she was invited to present her work in Ottawa as part of the Alberta Scene celebration to commemorate Alberta’s 100 year centennial. In 2006 she presented her work at the Human Rights Symposium in Victoria, was honoured with Global TV’s “Woman of Vision†award, and was a featured poet in the Heart of a Poet documentary series. In May 2009 CBC Arts recognized her work, naming her one of the Top Ten Poets in Canada.
Reading highlights: Voix d’Amériques 2008, ‘05 (Montreal), Bumbershoot 2003, ‘99, ‘92, ‘91, ‘89 (Seattle), The World Poetry Bout 2002 (Taos, New Mexico), Vancouver International Writers Festival (2002, ‘00, ‘95, ‘93, ‘90), Poetry Africa 2001 (South Africa), 2001 Shakespeare and Co. (Paris), WordFest 2000, ‘95 (Calgary, Banff), Harbourfront Reading Series 1993 (Toronto), Small Press Festival 1990 (New York City).
Sheri-D Wilson is an innovator and activist who seeks to give voice to all people; those who have been silenced, under-represented and all cultural groups whose stories must be heard. From 1988-1990 she co-founded and organized the Vancouver Small Press Festival, and the Commercial Street Art Festival for the Normal Art Society. In 2003 she formed the Calgary Spoken Word Society, which produces the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival and other Spoken Word Activities. With direct instructions from the great Lillian Allen, in 2005 Sheri-D initiated the first Banff Summit Meeting of Spoken Word (with 16 artist/producers), which led to the formation of SWAN (Spoken Word Arts Network). In 2006 she headed the organizational faculty for the first Spoken Word Pilot Program at the Banff Centre; and continues to carry out the duties of Program Director of the Banff Summit Meeting of Spoken Word (now known as the Spoken Word Program at Banff Centre).
For more information on Sheri-D Wilson and her many endeavors, check out Sheri-D Wilson.com .
