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Dwayne Morgan, a man who lives by the power of his words

Library celebrates Black History Month with spoken word artist Dwayne Morgan on Saturday, Feb.23
2019 01 28 Dwayne Morgan poet
Dwayne Morgan, a renowned poet, spoken word artist, author, and recording artist, is visiting Newmarket Public Library Feb. 23. Supplied photo/Dwayne Morgan

This article is written by Lorne Chase, marketing and communications coordinator at Newmarket Public Library. Click here to find out more about the library and its events and programs.

For Dwayne Morgan it’s all about words.  

Words skillfully employed to talk about important social issues. Words spoken with passion to enlighten, inspire, and motivate. Words used to express complex thoughts and emotions. Words that seek to speak the truth.

Morgan is a renowned poet, spoken word artist, author, and recording artist based in Scarborough. He has been living by his words since 1993, when as a young man he began writing poetry and performing as a spoken word artist.

His poetry and live performances addressed the very real social issues he saw in the community around him such as drug use, family violence, and racism. His passionate belief that things could be better was matched by a skillful use of words that conveyed, as he says, “a sense of hope, coming from the understanding that there is a lot of work still to be done in society, and we all have a role to play in it.”

This idealistic outlook served him well as he undertook projects that were unprecedented. In 1998, for example, he started the Toronto International Poetry Slam competition as a way of promoting poets he had met while touring. Initially it was difficult convincing people that the idea of competitive poetry, which included a cash prize for the winner, was a viable concept.  However, Morgan’s perseverance resulted in a successful event.

Over the years, Morgan has released several collections of poetry, recorded a number of albums, and shared the stage with performers such as Alicia Keys, Jully Black, k-os, Kardinal Offshal, and Nelly Furtado. He even worked with Drake in his early years.

A self-proclaimed ‘social entrepreneur’, Morgan is always looking for ways to boost social awareness of the issues that matter to him. “My business is about people,” he says. “I use art as a tool to discuss and address various social issues, with the hope of inspiring action.”

And Morgan doesn’t just talk about inspiring action, he takes it. He started his Up From The Roots production company to provide aspiring African Canadian and urban artists with opportunities they just weren’t finding elsewhere.  

“What we did was allow these artists to get on stage and perform. Where the doors of opportunity were closed, we built doors of our own, and many of the artists that we worked with are now full time artists in different parts of the world,” he says.

Morgan has even ventured into filmmaking with the short Three Knocks, based on his poem about domestic violence. His creativity seems to know no bounds, and resulted in his collaborating with an artist on his first children’s book Before I Was Born, based on his relationship with his daughter.  

Being a father has played a big part in how Morgan views the world now, and he is aware of the issues facing a new generation. “Most of their free time is spent consuming some form of digital media,” he notes. “I want children to know how important it is to learn how to use their imagination. I want them to know that they have stories, and talents, and gifts that the world needs.”

That is one of the messages Morgan relates during appearances at local schools and libraries throughout York Region. Perhaps his young audiences will heed his words and realize that it was his own desire to share his talents and gifts with the world that led to his many creative successes, and his being recognized with the African Canadian Achievement Award, the Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in the Arts, three Canadian Urban Music Awards, and being inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame.

And he continues to perform and organize events. Upcoming projects include The Heart of a Man, a musical told through love songs originally sung by men, and When Sisters Speak, a spoken word showcase for black women, the largest annual event of its kind in North America.

Dwayne will be helping celebrate Black History Month with an appearance at Newmarket Public Library for a poetry and story reading for the entire family on Saturday, February 23, 2019, from 2 to 4 p.m., presented in partnership with the Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association (NACAA). Register now for this special event by calling 905-953-5110 Ext. 4770, email [email protected] , or online here.