WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE?
Word Wizard: Wakefield Brewster on Inspiration, Poetry and Mentorship
The professional poet and AMA member shares his favourites, including the composer he’d like to share a meal with.
By Nicole Keen
Poet and educator Wakefield Brewster. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF WAKEFIELD BREWSTER
Wakefield Brewster’s words are powerful, inspiring and even a little magical. It’s easy to see why his young students have nicknamed him the “word wizard.” In addition to working as a professional poet and educator, Calgary’s former Poet Laureate (2022–24) is also a registered massage therapist. The common thread throughout all of Brewster’s endeavours is his desire to be “a positive agent of change.” His childhood dream was to be a musician — he is classically trained on the piano — but somewhere along the way, words replaced notes. Or as Brewster explains it: “I didn’t pick poetry. Poetry picked me.”
What is your favourite poem to perform? The poem is titled “I Can,” and it speaks to self-empowerment. The story speaks to my trials, my tribulations and finally my triumphs. And the message is this: when you decide what you’re going to do in the world and who you’re going to be, that’s called embarking on a life of conviction.
Who inspires your work? I actually needed people to help lead me to me. There are three artists [who] inspired me. [The first is] Saul Williams, known as the godfather of slam poetry, who taught me how to use my musicality in my poetic delivery. The second person is Linton Kwesi Johnson, the godfather of dub poetry. The third person is Kool Keith, the godfather of underground rap and hip hop. He taught me to say anything.
If you could share a meal with a composer (living or dead), who would it be? Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. He’s known as the Black Mozart, an influential Black composer of the 18th century. I would ask to sit down and have some French fare with him.
What do you enjoy most about working in the wellness space? Massage is like a holiday. I get to stop talking, and I get to help people move again. I feel so validated being in the world, being silent and making real physical connections with people who trust me. I’m doing noble and honourable work. AMA
(Clockwise from top left) Slam-poetry pioneer Saul Williams; students from the Connect Charter School, where Brewster teaches “the power of poetry”; 18th-century composer Joseph Bologne; a massage room at WakeFull Wellness. | PHOTOS: CREATIVE COMMONS/COLLISION CONF; COURTESY OF WAKEFIELD BREWSTER; COURTESY OF WAKEFIELD BREWSTER; WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/MATHER BROWN
“I didn’t pick poetry. Poetry picked me.”