Wakefield Brewster
Calgary Poet Laureate 2022 – 2024
Wakefield Brewster is the current City of Calgary Poet Laureate, a slam champion, an educator, a mentor, a massage therapist, a wellness advocate, and a renegade. He is a professional poet and spoken word artist who was raised in Toronto by parents from Barbados and has been based in Calgary since 2006.
Since July 1999, Wakefield Brewster has been known as one of Canada’s most popular and prolific Performance Poets. He has spoken across Canada and several States and makes countless appearances regularly in a variety of ways, for a myriad of reasons, throughout every single year.
Throughout his career, Brewster has been published in several Anthologies, including T-Dot Griots (Trafford on Demand Publishing, 2004), The Great Black North (Frontenac House, 2013), The Calgary Project (Frontenac House, 2014), and The Black Prairie Archives: An Anthology (Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2019). Since moving to Calgary, he has produced two professional recordings to his credit: Wakefield Brewster, da lyrical pitbull (produced by Kill Whitey Records, 2007) and east2west (produced by Spanish Fly Music, 2008).
In addition to being a professional poet and spoken word artist, Brewster is also a professional Poetic Interpreter™, has been three-time Calgary Poetry Slam Champion & Team Captain (2006, 2008, 2009), the Inaugural Poet of Honour, People’s Poetry Festival (2011), Calgary Poet Laureate Shortlist/Finalist (2012 and 2020), the Inaugural Resident Poet & Spoken Word Artist of The Grand Theatre (2019-2021), Inaugural TD ARTIST INCUBATOR at Arts Commons and Poet-In-Residence (2021-2022), a member of the Canadian League of Poets, a board member of Elephant Artist’s Relief Society, and the Peter Gzowski Foundation For Literacy Calgary Poet Laureate (2021). Brewster is also a Registered Massage Therapist and owner of WakeFull Wellness Registered Massage Therapy & HealingSpace; a community-builder, volunteer, and leadership mentor for youth through the arts; and an Advocate for Literacy and The Humanities; Healing Arts & Alternative Medicine; Alcoholism & Addictions; Mental Wellness & Recovery.