The page and the stage: In conversation with up-and-coming spoken word artist Tawahum Bige BY MEAGHAN HACKINEN
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awahum Bige (he/they) is a Łutselk’e Dene, Plains Cree poet, spoken word artist, land protector, musician, and mentor. In 2016, Tawahum’s academic aspirations changed course when he pivoted from information technology toward a degree in creative writing. They landed their first paid gig in 2017 and have since performed at over fifty different venues across the country. Spring 2022 marks the release of Tawahum’s first collection of poetry, Cut to Fortress, from Nightwood Editions. FBCW staff member Meaghan Hackinen spoke to Tawahum over Zoom to learn more about their creative journey, artistic practice, and forthcoming poetry debut. Meaghan Hackinen: How did you get involved in spoken word poetry? Tawahum Bige: In 2014, my friend Simon took me to my very first slam event at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. It was called Slamming the Binary and they had three different non-binary slam poets there—spoken word artists—and they were just sharing their poems about gender, their poems about their experiences. And I specifically remember this poet named Hannah Johnson who just took me
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wordworks | 2022 Volume I
down into their world, describing everything using the extended metaphor of underwater, mermaids. I remember listening to these words but feeling like I was underwater—beneath the waves—swimming around with the fishes while this person was telling me a beautiful, beautiful story about gender centring around mermaids. […] The first thought that came to me wasn’t just That was amazing, but How do I do this? Then in 2015 my second-eldest brother passed away and it was an intense time for me. I had been majoring in information technology, and something needed to shift. […] Creative writing gripped me, held me. [We’re told] writing about or from those places of pain can be really healing […] I went right to writing about my grief. It opened up so many worlds of pain that I had been pushing down that I ended up in the psych ward, but at the same time writing is what got me out of the psych ward. Writing is also what allowed me to continue doing my life and healing. MH: What was a pivotal moment in your artistic career? TB: Urban Native Youth Association was a part of Talking Stick Festival that I got involved in, from Full Circle. They had this whole mentorship set up for Indigenous youth to come in […] and create a
