lisa b. is a spoken word poet based in western Canada. She’s charmed and challenged audiences across Canada, in the United States, Spain, Britain and Germany, self-published 5 chapbooks, and recorded 2 full-length albums of poetry accompanied with music. She's opinionated, tender, occasionally raunchy and frequently very funny. In 2004 she worked with Glenna Garramone and members of Barley Wik and Po’Girl to record "salvaged music," a full-length cd of spoken word poetry accompanied by diverse acoustic instrumentation. Her debut album ranges from political commentary to children’s stories, from love poems to travel tales, roaming from an Ontario suburb to the Canadian prairies to a river in Northern Alberta. “A powerful mix of music and voice, stories and insight, 'salvaged music' takes us to the top of a thick, green tree in BC, points to the world in all of its messed-up complexity, and says look, says close your eyes and listen…’salvaged music’ has the head nodding to the beat, to the heart of the matter, leaves the soul fed, the eyes focused and open.” – Carla Atherton, editor of Cahoots Magazine, Saskatoon SK In 2005 lisa became the first spoken word poet to tour across Canada, organizing, promoting and performing 20 well-attended shows in 15 big cities and small towns from coast to coast with very little advice and even less funding. She made connection with elderly ladies in rural Saskatchewan and too-cool-to-crack-a-smile urban queers in Toronto. (The Canada Council for the Arts has cautioned her about being overly ambitious.) In June 2007 lisa moved across the Atlantic ocean to leap into the UK performance poetry world with a large splash. "Ladyfest was great except for that offensive Canadian girl." – audience member at Ladyfest Manchester UK England embraced her; she won several poetry slam competitions across Britain as soon as she arrived. lisa quickly became a sought-after guest poet, performing extensively around Manchester and the Northwest. As Rhythm and Word Artist in Residence at Manchester’s Contact Theatre she collaborated with photographer and graphic designer Wyndi Palmer to create Wildcrafted, an hour-long show of spoken word poetry and projected imagery on the theme of life at a fire lookout in northern Canada. “What an amazing feast of words and images…exceptionally delivered.” – Michael Upton, Manchester UK Not everyone enjoys lisa’s performance. She writes with uncompromising honesty of the impacts of violence, sexism and homophobia in her life, as well as her experience of racial and class privilege as a middle-class white woman. On occasion, such directness raises hackles in audience members. "I do hope as you mature you lose a little bit of your anger, and shift from such very personal, autobiographical stuff." – Billie S., northern Alberta "I grew up white and middle class and I think that the white middle class has nothing to feel ashamed of and I think you make sweeping generalizations and I feel aggrieved." – Rachel C. lisa co facilitated a series of writing and performance workshops with 20+ community members cumulating in an experimental queer poetry play, Crow of Murders, which enjoyed a sell out run at Manchester’s Contact Theatre. In 2008 she was awarded a placement in Incubate, an artistic development project with Apples & Snakes, doing additional artist residencies at the Birmingham Rep Theatre, and the Battersea Arts Centre in London. “It’s hard to make the English emote, but you’ve done it...not a dry eye in the house.” – Gerry Potter, playwright and creator of Chloe Poems, Manchester UK Check her out online at www.luckygoat.org