Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie
2-15 AV LAURIER E
MONTRÉAL, QC H2T 1E4
CANADA
For general inquiries please email us at info@poetryinvoice.com. Or find our team's email addresses below.
Liana Cusmano, Communications Director (iel/they/them)
Liana first became involved with Poetry in Voice/Les voix de la poésie when they competed in the 2012 Grand Finals. They are thrilled to be joining the team as Director of Communications in 2021. Liana is also a writer, filmmaker, spoken word artist and arts educator, and they are passionate about making poetry more accessible to youth.
When they are not working with poets, teachers and students, they can be found skateboarding, cycling or hiking.
Caroline Fournier, French Program Coordinator (elle/she/her)
caroline@lesvoixdelapoesie.com
Caroline did her college studies in Arts, Letters and Communication and then obtained a certificate in screenwriting at UQAM. She completed a bachelor's degree in social work and worked in the health and education systems for 9 years. In 2017, she created Premiers Pas Poétiques, a poetry event for youth, in partnership with the Festival de la poésie de Montréal. She has been coordinating the project and managing the community ever since.
She has been working since 2020 on artistic projects, including a web series in development with Tou.tv.
Tessa Griffin, English Program Coordinator (she/her/elle)
Tessa stage managing the 2017 Finals in Vancouver
Tessa Griffin creates connections: She unites poets and teachers for our Poet In Class program; she assembles students, teachers, and poets for our Team Regional events in Ontario; and she collaborates with literary-event and festival organizers to create opportunities for students to recite. She also plans and stage manages our National Finals events.
Before coming to Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie in 2016, Tessa worked as a public school and Montessori educator and ran an organization that provided Toronto children with books and opportunities to meet authors. When she is not in front of her computer directing poetry traffic, she enjoys making art, triathlon sports, cross-country skiing, reading, and listening to music.
June Park, Development Manager (elle/she/her)
June is a writer, grant advisor, consultant, and cultural connector with over 20 years of experience working in the arts. She believes deeply in the impact of the arts on us as individuals and communities, and is committed to diversity and empowerment.
An avid devotee of poetry and its ability to engage, inspire and connect, June studied literature at U Toronto (MA) and U Calgary (BA). She is working on a manuscript, and recalibrates herself yearly by doing a solo wilderness adventure equipped with a pen, blank pages, and some poetry.
David J. Smith, Executive Director (il/he/him)
David at the Winnipeg Art Gallery with 2019 National Finalists (l to r) Berry Genge, Clara Sismondo, Aksa Caleb, Nawal Semir, and Alexander Morin
David has been with Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie since 2011, first as Technical Director and then as Executive Director starting in 2014. With his background in theatre, filmmaking, photography, and engineering, David has developed our website, created our videos, and orchestrated our live and online contests.
His love of poetry and performance was sparked when he photographed the first team slam at the People’s Poetry Gathering in 1999. In 2007 he spent a year in classrooms and the community filming high school students in Rochester, NY, as they formed a slam team for Brave New Voices. He is thrilled that it’s now his job to encourage students to read, recite, and write poetry. Since Gretzky retired he has been an obsessive follower of Liverpool Football Club.
Sarah Tsiang, Creative Director (elle/she/her)
Before joining Poetry In Voice/Les voix de la poésie in 2020, Sarah taught poetry and creative writing at UBC and Sheridan College. She is the author of 2 books of poetry and the editor of a poetry anthology. She also works as the Poetry Editor of Arc Poetry Magazine and loves nothing more than discovering and working with the rising stars of Can lit.
She’s thrilled to have the opportunity to be around both talented students from across the country as well as the supremely gifted poets who provide content for our website and anthologies.
Website comments and questions: webmaster@poetryinvoice.com
Follow us on social media!
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/pivlvp
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/pivlvp
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/pivlvp
Photo credits:
David Smith by Daniel Crump
Rachel Arsenault by Lianne Finnie
Sarah Tsiang by David Drummond
Tessa Griffin by Joshua Dorsey