Poet and spoken word performer Shane Koyczan will be appearing at Max Cameron Theatre on Thursday, April 28 to make his audience cry, laugh, debate and find inspiration though the art of the spoken word.
From sex to politics to love to war and everything in between, Koyczan tackles a wide variety of subject matters through his poetry and tries to connect with the audience on a number of levels. More of a performance than a reading, Koyczan’s show promises to be an invigorating evening of passion and energy.
Poetry is a full-time gig for Koyczan who travels around the majority of the year giving performances and taking part in events. For more than a decade he has been pursuing this career that he said he more fell into than ever chose to pursue. Koyczan hit both the national and world stage at the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics when he performed his poem, “We Are More.” His poem captured attention and brought exposure to both Koyczan and to spoken word poetry as a whole.
Koyczan writes about his life experiences, about stories he hears from friends or people he meets and does so because of an emotional connection to his subject. He writes backwards to instill a certain excitement in his work and to help him make sure that everything drives toward the climax of the end. He can’t stand a poetry reading situation where the audience claps halfway through a poem because they think it’s over. With Koyczan’s work there can be no mistake.
“Everything drives toward that ending. I want it to be like a nail you hit and that’s it, people know it’s done,” said Koyczan. “I think what they get most is the emotional release...It’s really an emotional roller-coaster type ride and I really tend to put them through the ringer of all their emotions. But I think they like that; it’s almost like a cleansing.”
Even when writing about “harsh subjects,” Koyczan believes the power of poetry comes from the emotional connection an audience can have with his words. Koyczan strives for honesty in his work and believes that rather than purely intellectual, poetry’s real power comes from the heart.
With the current political climate and with a growing sense of disconnection due to social media and isolated lives, Koyczan believes now, as much as ever, the collective experience of poetry and the catharsis of sharing emotions is needed.
“To enliven people, to bring back their passion, I think it’s more relevant than ever,” said Koyczan. “I think poetry is a way of getting people to connect to each other again...The world is really evolving. The saving grace of poetry for people will be that it allows people to connect to one another.”
Tickets for the show are $24 for adults, $22 for seniors and students and $12 under 12, available at Powell River Academy of Music box office or at the door.
