our poetic past

From 2012 to 2018 Speaker Box was a poetry slam and open mic event in York Region spotlighting the best in spoken word and artistic performance. We provided a stage and audience for the community to grow the local culture. Originally named YorkSlam Poetry Series we rebranded in 2016 to Speaker Box to be more inclusive to all forms of artistic expression and performance. A combination based on CityTV’s Speakers’ Corner and a soapbox; a makeshift stand by a public speaker.

A poetry slam is a competition for poets to perform original work without the use of instruments or props . These performances are then judged on a numeric scale by randomly selected members of the audience AKA the judges. Each show we awarded prize money to the highest scoring performer and gave all competitors points towards their season rankings.

In our 6 year history we started with an empty room then slowly grew to sold out shows. We created a TV series in 2017 based on the show with Rogers Television. We were awarded 2 grants from the city of Richmond Hill. And even had a prom proposal during one of the events, she said yes by the way. We sent 5 youth teams to the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, a national competition between the countries best slam poetry teams. And when we did our final show it was a heart felt evening bringing together some of the very first poets to grace the stage and closing it off with an epic performance by Sterling Dillinger.

our future

Now we are focusing on 3 things. A podcast series featuring conversations with unusual entrepreneurs. Stepping away from the 9-5 lifestyle each guest took action to achieve their dream and shares the success and failure of how they did it. We dive deep into what it took and what they learned. To break up the heavier content we also interview comedians, swipers and hopeless romantics and share their bad date stories.

The other focus is on event services. Taking the best artists from the series and connecting them with opportunities to perform or host gigs. We do galas, weddings, Canada Day, Ribfest, concerts, anything and everything.

And finally transferring all skills learned from our live events into accessible workshops focused on entrepreneurship, public speaking, performance, event management, community building, and more.

Testimonials

It was an absolute pleasure working with Ian during the Speaker Box television series. Ian brought creative energy and an abundance of laughter to every program and through the planning process.

Julia Suppa - Producer at Rogers Television

Speakerbox’s performance was unlike anything I’ve seen before. I was transformed by this profound experience. The idea of using a visual art to inspire a spoken word performance is an incredible one, and it was great fun to watch. They wrote incredible pieces that captured the imagination, emotions and mesmerized the audience.

Stacey MacNevin - Experimental Visual Artist

Mastering Pitches & Presentations Workshop

Participants will learn how to effectively pitch themselves and their business while developing their presentation skills to make the most impact.

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Intro to Slam Poetry & Spoken Word Workshop

A hands on workshop to bring out your inner poet and song writer. Together we will develop your talents and get you ready for a performance.

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