Reading: Abena Beloved Green

Join Abena Beloved Green for a reading of new poems and poems from The Way We Hold On (Pottersfield Press 2018).

A freelance writer, dancer and poet, Abena Beloved Green, uses her artistic works as a means to elevate people of all ages and backgrounds. Maintaining a distinct and authentic voice, her poems address cultural, social, and environmental issues. Reflecting on everyday life as a small-town raised, semi-nomadic, first-generation resident of Turtle Island. A Ghanian-Canadian who grew up in Nova Scotia, she now resides in Eastern Ontario.

In 2016, Abena became the poetry prize winner of the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia’s Nova Writes competition; and the third-place finalist in the 2017 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (Verses Festival of Words). She was also a two-time Halifax Slam Team member in the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (CFSW) in 2011 and 2016. Abena has gone on to share a stage with George Elliot Clarke, Afua Cooper, David Woods and Jessica Care Moore. Her work has appeared in the Global Fund for Women’s Imagining Equality project, Oratorealis (Vancouver) and Open Heart Forgery (Halifax). Her spoken word album ‘Beloved’ debuted in July 2014 with the support of the Ontario Arts Council. The Way We Hold On (Pottersfield Press, 2018 ) marks Abena’s first collection of poetry and was released in March 2018.

An enthusiast of African dance forms, Abena has spent over ten years dancing and teaching traditional and modern West African Dances and Step (also referred to as stomp). Founder of the step team, Lady Step in 2003, Abena incorporates aspects of dance and movement into her poetic offerings. Abena enjoys exploring the connection between arts and health and culture. She has a graduate certificate in Creative Writing from the Humber School of Writers and wants for her words to carry weight and bring light.

This event is taking place on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh Nations.

Accessibility information: this event takes place upstairs in the Massy Gallery, which is only accessible by a flight of stairs.

Massy Books is easily accessible by transit! Close to the 22, 3, 8 and 19 bus lines at Main and Georgia/Gore and Georgia. There is metered street parking along Georgia, or lot parking at the Sun Wah Centre around the corner (268 Keefer).