Q Summit is back for the 2022-2023 season!
Q Summit is a poetry and spoken word mentorship program that provides a creative development space for 2SLGBTQ+ youth ages 18 to 25. The program supports the growth of participants in both technical poetry skills and personal development, as they explore their queer identities. Workshops are taught by two artist-educators who ensure a safer space for self-expression, learning, professional development, and friendship-building.
The fall session will dive into skill-building activities like writing prompts and free writing, as well as an exploration of form and poetic devices. The winter/spring session will focus on preparing participants for a final poetry showcase that will take place on the last workshop date (April 6, 2023). Participants will perform their works live at LSA’s Community Project Space in front of friends, family, and the public*! Participants will also have the opportunity to contribute to a published anthology of poetic works.
*Accommodations can be made for participants who choose to remain anonymous at the showcase.
Program Goals
- Expression: Find and amplify your authentic poetic voice.
- Practice: Take part in a series of workshops led by industry professionals where you will learn about / deepen your understanding of what it is to create poetry & spoken word pieces. Learn different styles of poetry, rhythm, timing, editing, presence, breath work, etc.
- Performance: Under the mentorship of professional artists, create written poetry pieces and perform in a final showcase event in the Spring.
- Build Community: Surround yourself with like-minded artists in a safe and welcoming environment.
2022 – 2023 Dates:
Thursdays at 6:00PM to 8:00PM.
Fall Session: Weekly from October 27 to December 15, 2022.
Winter Session: Weekly from February 2 to April 6, 2023.
Location: Both the fall and winter sessions will be held online via Zoom. There will be an in-person showcase at Lakeshore Arts for the final session (April 6, 2023).
💰 As a mentorship with a final project, participants will receive an honorarium of $200.00 for completing the program.
⏰ There are 10 available positions in this mentorship program and the application deadline to apply is Sunday, October 23rd, at 11:59PM. Apply now below!
Past Events & Creations
INTO THE QUEER-VERSE: A Q Summit Poetry Showcase & Anthology 2021/2022
In the 2021/2022 season, under the guidance of our two mentors, the participants dedicated their time to meet weekly and develop their poetic voices and spoken word prowess.
Their hard work culminated in a final virtual showcase where friends, family, and allies joined the Q Summit for Into the Queer-verse, a free live poetry reading.
Covering a range of themes from ancestry & chosen family to fairytales & utopias, and everything Queer in between, the poets managed to create pure magic through their journeys on and off the page.
We also produced and published the 2022 Anthology with poetic works by the program participants, available digitally for free below! The Anthology is now part of the ArQuives’ collection, Canada’s LGBTQ2S+ archives!
Queer As In Here | 2021 Digital Anthology
Meet Your Mentors
Melissa (Melly) Davidson
Melissa Davidson is a Queer diasporic writer and mover, with lineage from Lebanon to Jamaica to Canada. They compete in local and International slam competitions like CUPSI and FEMS. Melly is a street dancer and artist educator. They currently live in Tkaronto. Above all, they wish to emote the good kinds of sticky.
Martin Gomes
Martin (he/him/they) is an Afro-Latinx, queer, citrus fruit lovin poet born & based in downtown Toronto. His official poetry journey began under the tutelage of Britta B at JAYU, a charitable organization that shares human rights stories through the arts and engaging conversations. His unofficial journey began with his first exposure to poetry: A Goofy Movie 2 and an episode of Fresh Prince where Will writes poetry under the guise of Raphael DeLaGhetto. Since then, he has gone from student to mentor at JAYU teaching both level 1 and level 2, and the Guelph Humber x JAYU poetry collaboration. He currently runs spoken word & beatboxing workshops with Unity charity. His goal is to create spaces that encourage folks to be their most authentic, genuine selves in a raw, real, “non-Disney” type of way. (He messes with Disney though, don’t get it twisted.)
Meet our Past Mentors
A Letter to My Queer Younger Self is a poem created by Q Summit participants during the Q Summit Winter 2020 session in collaboration with their mentors and facilitators Cassandra Myers and Emily Dial.
Program Funder
Q Summit is proudly funded by the Johansen Larsen Foundation. Learn more about the Johansen Larson Foundation by visiting: www.jlfoundation.ca
Social Media
Facebook: @Johansen-Larsen Foundation
Twitter: @jlfoundation2
