Rhoda Foundation Let The Heart Speak Poetry Night

Day 1: Let the Heart Speak Poetry Night at Rumi Cup Commune-A-Tea Arthouse

Day 1 Spotlight: Poetry Night at Rumi Cup,Let your heart speak an intimate evening of thought provoking spiritual poetry and reflection. Local poets, refreshments, and soul-stirring conversations await.

We're bringing you some of Ottawa's literary giants and shining gems on this night including:

Jamaal Amir Akbari 'jaaword'

Jamaal Amir Akbari (jaa or jaaword) is an award winning poet, arts educator, creative entrepreneur, and performance artist. He is Ottawa’s 2017 Poet Laureate Emeritus, an Urban Legends slam champion, and his career in arts education earned him 2016's Ontario Arts Educator Award. He is the founder of The Origin Arts & Community Centre, and has brought his arts practice to audiences locally and internationally. Jaa’s defining moments are when he makes intimate connections with his participants during workshop exchanges and performance sets.

His topics range from emotional maturity to social justice, from parenting to the human condition, and has been highlighted in festivals, documentaries and educational institutions across the world. He resides in Marathon Village, Canada, with his wife and 8 children, using the national capital region as his launch pad to teach, mentor and advocate for the arts.

FB - Jamaal Amir Akbari IG - Jamaal Amir Akbari YB - JustJamaal ThePoet

Khaleefa 'Apollo the Child' Hamdan

Khaleefa ‘Apollo the Child’ Hamdan is an accomplished spoken word poet, hip hop artist, and former radio host, known for his commitment to youth empowerment through the arts. As a former co-director of the Urban Legends Poetry Collective, he pioneered the Youth Speak program in collaboration with the Ottawa Public Library, providing free after-school writing opportunities for young people.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/apollothechild

King Kimbit

King Kimbit is a performance artist based on unceded Algonquin territory (Ottawa), passionate about empowering youth, community care, and sharing love through writing, reciting, and the abolition of punitive, carceral institutions.

King has shared her work across Turtle Island, Jamaica, and Vietnam. In 2017 King released her debut album Life Lessons Poetically, and in 2018 she joined Jo-Anne Bryan, Carmelle Cachero, and Jordan Samonas, as a writer and the vocalist for their group, Speaking Vibrations. In the same year, King co-founded Cap City Cyphers with 4theworld and Kevin Bourne of Shifter. Her newest release Fk12frfr Pt. II is streamable everywhere.

IG: kingkimbit

Henrik Yusuf Vierula

Artist and educator, Henrik Yusuf Vierula writes and performs original devotional song and poetry in praise of God and His Prophet ﷺ, in both English and French.

MC: Poet and Author Bassem Elghawaby

Bassem Elghawaby is a free verse poet and creative writer who has performed in several Spoken Word events in Ottawa, as well as competitions virtually. His debut work, Solemn Stream - A Poetic Journey Through Faith and Bipolar, is a 25 year compilation that speaks from a lived experience about bullying, faith, and mental illness, along with other themes from his life.

https://www.solemnstream.com/