Desiree Mckenzie is a Toronto-based award-winning poet, arts educator, and aspiring photographer. Desiree has represented Toronto Poetry Slam at the 2020 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Dallas, Texas, where she placed in the top 40 of 100 poets, in addition to being the 2019 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word National Champion with Up From the Roots. At the 2020 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam, she was among the top three poets in Canada. Her poetry has also appeared in CBC's Poetic License series, the Black Diamond Ball, the Bergen Lit Fest, the VIBE Arts NExT program, and Clearbanc Financial's International Women's Day Campaign. She received the JAYU iAM Arts for Human Rights Award in 2020, recognizing creatives doing exceptional work where the arts and human rights intersect. WET HAIR, her first spoken word EP, was released in 2021 and is now available on all streaming platforms. In this podcast episode, Desiree shares with us what sparked her love of poetry, her journey pursuing the art form, and much more!

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Opening Credits: Daniel Cowans, Musical Director @ The DNA Project

Produced By: Anthony Lewis and Diriki Palmer

Mixed and Edited By: Mat Keselman

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