I WISH I'D WRITTEN THIS - SHANE KOYCZAN

I wanted my last Friday feature to be awesome, so I chose Shane Koyczan, Penticton Spoken Word maestro, whom I have featured before. Rosemary also featured this wonderful human in 2013. 

Shane speaks from his heart; he reaches right into the chests of his listeners, stirring the memories, the emotions, the humanness of being a person in this world.

He is an extremely successful artist, often on tour to packed, appreciative audiences. His personal story is moving: a small boy raised by his grandparents, who, as an adult, goes in search of the father he did not know.  This journey is told in the documentary about his life, Shut Up and Say Something (trailer above). 

In any of his performances, what strikes me is the connection Shane makes with his audience. He makes his listeners feel all he feels; they resonate with the many times they have felt the same way too.

Here is just one of his amazing performances, perhaps his most famous. It is a bit long. But just maybe it will make you laugh and cry, as it did me.






There are many other of his performances on youtube. 

Shane has a new book out, titled Inconvenient Skin / nayêhtâwan wasakay Illustrations are by Joseph Sanchez, Jim Logan and Nadya Kwandibens. This book addresses Canada's dark colonial history, wounds from which are still in need of healing. 

Available here.

Shane has thirteen books out on Goodreads. 

Shane is unafraid to address painful topics. He goes there, and by being his compassionate, feeling self, helps us go there, too. 

Once you read, or, especially, hear him, you will be hooked. One can never get enough of this rich, warm embodiment of what it is to be a full-hearted human, Being. 

Material shared in 'I Wish I'd Written This' is presented for study and review. Poems, photos and other writings remain the property of the copyright owners, usually their authors.

I Wish I'd Written This

... and created it visually and audibly too. It's beautiful. And it's many other things, including poetry.

So, for something a little different this time, click here!

Apologies to those who've already seen this on facebook or elsewhere — but if so, you'll know it's worth sharing as widely as possible. In fact, it's a must. And wait, there's more!

The author, Canadian Shane Koyczan, has a website, a facebook fan page, and you can find more of his poems here and here. For other details about Shane, check his Wikipedia entry.

And when you're on his website, don't miss listening to the track, 'Remember How We Forgot' — top right, just under  the picture/link for the album it's from, Remembrance Year.  But be warned, once you've heard it, you'll want to buy the album. The chances are very good that, like me, you'll be going, 'I'm in love with this man!'