“A Way With Words,” with Wakefield Brewster

This week, we have part 1 of 2 episodes with my amazing guest, Wakefield Brewster. Wakefield talks us through his journey to now being one of Calgary’s  most established resident performance poets! We talk about the many other hats he wears in the literacy world and how he uses his platform to help bring poetry to all the people and help them feel connected by his words. Wakefield wants everyone to know that Poetry is not just for the poets and poetry lovers, It's such a beautiful episode and to start it off, here is Wakefield performing one of his oldest poems, H2O.
Instagram:
@wakefield_brewster
Twitter:
@lyricalpitbull
Tumblr:
da-lyrical-pitbull
Website:
www.wakefieldbrewster.com
Bio:
Wakefield Brewster aka: Da Lyrical PitBull
Professional Poet & Spoken Word Artist
 Since January 1999, Wakefield Brewster has been known as one of Canada’s most popular and prolific Performance Poets.
He is a BlackMan born and raised in Toronto, by parents hailing from the island of Beautiful Barbados,and he has resided in Calgary since 2006.
 He has spoken across Canada, several States, and makes countless appearances on a regular basis in a variety of ways, for a myriad of reasons, throughout each and every single year.
 Facebook, Facebook Fan Page, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, radio, online, pictures, video, print, podcast – Da Lyrical PitBull is accessible and everywhere.
 Throughout his career, Wakefield has been published in several Anthologies:
• T-Dot Griots, Trafford on Demand Publishing, 2004
• The Great Black North, Frontenac House, 2013
• The Calgary Project, Frontenac House, 2014
• The Black Prairie Archives: An Anthology, Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2019
Recordings:
• Wakefield Brewster, da lyrical pitbull
Produced by Kill Whitey Records, 2007• east2west
Produced by Spanish Fly Music, 2008 In a point-and-shoot fashion, here are the hats that Wakefield wears:  
 • Professional Poet & Spoken Word Artist
• Professional Poetic Interpreter™
• 3-Time Calgary Poetry Slam Champion & Team Captain; 2006, 2008, 2009
• Inaugural Poet Of Honour, People’s Poetry Festival, 2011
• Calgary Poet Laureate Shortlist/Finalist 2012, 2020
• Founder of Page2Stage Productions, Poetry Production Project
• Founder of Poésie à la Pâtisserie & Pitbull Poetry Reading Series
• Inaugural Resident Poet & Spoken Word Artist of The Grand Theatre 2019 - present
• Canadian League Of Poets Member
• Elephant Artist’s Relief Society Board Member
• Peter Gzowski Foundation For Literacy Calgary Poet Laureate, 2021
• Resident Artist, Arts Commons Incubator 2021 - 2022​
• Classical Pianist & Percussionist 
• Registered Massage Therapist and owner of WakeFull Wellness Registered Massage Therapy & HealingSpace
• 1st Dan Black Belt, World Tae Kwon Do Federation
• Community Builder by engaging in Volunteering, Leadership and Mentorship for Youth and through The Arts
• Advocate for Literacy and The Humanities; Healing Arts & Alternative Medicine; Alcoholism & Addictions;Mental Wellness & Recovery
 In 2019, he was appointed as the very First Resident Poet & Spoken Word Artist of The Grand Theatre House in Calgary, Alberta. The significance of this honour is the timing, as it came to pass while The Grand was recovering from well-publicized toxic workplace issues, and a historic lack of diversity and inclusion.
 Wakefield sits on the Board of Directors of the E.A.R. Society – Emergency Artist’s Relief Society, providing emergency relief funding and affordable Health Care for Artists.
 After all that the stage has given him while performing for fans, he has discovered another way that he may repay his beloved Poetry and Arts Communi