Festivals are a work of art, and as such, they have become a platform for all creative modalities, not just music! Visual art, fashion, and performance art have all come into play in a big way. By curating a wide variety of content to engage their audiences, festivals are constantly creating space for art to flourish. One of the arts that do get a little left behind, however, is literature. Festivals may not seem like the setting to consume creative writing outside of musical influences, but The Poetry Elf is showing us that they are the perfect place to do just that!
The Poetry Elf is the performance characteristics of writer Skylah Ginette, who is currently based in Nelson, B.C. She flits through festivals to find people on the edges and inserts herself into the moments in between. She may approach you as you chill in a treehouse or a cuddle puddle, or while you wait in line. She’ll either ask you to pick a broad theme and find a poem to fit that or deliver a piece she has personally chosen to suit the scene. You might find her sweet nothings written on the back of her business card, or perhaps hidden in an art installation or a tree. If you’re really lucky, you might see her on stage, stripping down to the bare essentials of language as she performs a unique fusion art called “Poetry Burlesque”. No matter what, when you do find The Poetry Elf, you’ll discover that poetry is not limited to colleges and coffee shops. It’s always beating right beneath our hearts, waiting to be spoken into existence.
Skylah has been seen at Curiosity and Astral Harvest music festivals, and regularly performs onstage at various events such as variety shows, literary events, burlesque shows and fundraisers. She founded the variety show, The Poetry Burlesque in 2017, which contributed to the creation of her performance art of the same name. The show itself was made to feature sex-positive performers, especially poetry and dance, but Ginette used it as inspiration to combine the two art forms and create something new. Her act is known for sensual striptease that is cued to her own original poetry, whether recited live or previously recorded. Using inspiration such as romance, nature, feminism and festivals, she has curated a large personal collection of poetry. She also self-published a poetry book in spring 2018, titled “Messages for a Goddess Rising.” You can order one of the last remaining copies from her website, or try to find her at a festival to get one in person!
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*Featured Image Via Pulse Media*
