“I write for the masses/no discrimination between classes.â€lisa "luscious" tai is a spoken word poet & vocalist who has been writing since grade 3, performing in various capacities since elementary school, and specifically performing poetry since 2002. A passionate Piscean and a devout daydreamer, her creative style is versatile and textured. Rhyming with honest emotion, her delivery is intelligently seductive with a hip-hop edge and jazzy smoothness. Using thought-provoking lyrics and witty wordplay, she speaks candidly about relationships, sexuality, spirituality, positivity, social consciousness, and self-awareness.Shortly after appearing on Toronto's spoken word scene, she immediately undertook the challenge of hosting and promoting “contact high†a successful first event showcasing poets, rappers, musicians, and djs of various styles and genres within one space. Since then she has been hosting events in the GTA including fundraising initiatives. Her goal has always been to bring poetry to the foreground and demonstrate that it can be fun, exciting, seductive, educational, and entertaining, even all at the same time.A graduate of York University, she was a Women’s Studies major and the Editor-in-Chief of the second largest student publication on campus. Her poetry was included in the anthology DiVerse Voices of Black Women, First Nations Women & Women of Colour. Her poetry and articles have appeared in various publications.Introduced to the poetic works of Dr. Louise Bennett at a young age by her Jamaican grandmother, who was also an avid storyteller, lisa came to understand the significance of the oral tradition. As a writer of Chinese-Jamaican heritage, she organized a spoken word stage at the first ever Caribbean Festival in Markham. She has contributed to and participated in the Alchemists Arena, a spoken word and acoustic stage at the Om Festival. She was a co-organizer, workshop facilitator, and performer at the Kimbercote MusiChaos Festival 2004. She has performed as a guest poet for the Diaspora Dialogues literary series, which supports the city's culturally diverse art. The highlight of her career thus far: performing at the same show as acclaimed slam poet Saul Williams.Currently, she hosts a monthly series called “underground sounds†featuring spoken word artists & house music DJs. Her recent funding from the National League of Canadian Poets will allow her to present a project for this year's National Poetry Month, which further demonstrates her passion and support for poetry and house music.This year, lisa will finally begin work on her first CD.
