Curated by Paul Edward Costa. Featuring Dakota Jeane Phillips, Tahira Rajwani, Ghazal Faridi, Vasily Selyuminov and Amy Liou.
The Tartan Turban Secret Readings are variously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the League of Canadian Poets and The Writers’ Union of Canada.
Date, time and venue
Our featured writers will be performing on-site and in person between 7–10 pm at 577 Kingston Road Suite #301 Toronto, ON M4E 1R3. The in-person event will be live-streamed and recorded to provide access. A link will be provided to attendees who register for the live stream.
We do ask that you register if you plan to attend. Tickets are free and reserving a spot helps us track numbers and access funding. Book your free tickets now via Eventbrite! Reserving a spot helps us track numbers and can help our writers get their grants.
Curator
Paul Edward Costa (He/Him) is an award-winning poet, spoken word artist, and teacher. He is a former Poet Laureate for the City of Mississauga and he’s won the 2019 Mississauga Arts Council Emerging Literary Arts Award. His poetry has appeared in publications such as Punk Monk Magazine, Blank Spaces Magazine, Train: A Poetry Journal, and Brickyard Spoken Word. His full-length poetry collection, The Long Train of Chaos, was released by Kung Fu Treachery Press and his book of flash fiction, God Damned Avalon, was published by Mosaic Press. He has two collections forthcoming from Mosaic Press in Fall 2024 and DarkWinter Press in Spring 2025. As a spoken word artist, Paul has featured at poetry reading series such as Shab-e She’r, Wild Writers, the Oakville Literary Cafe, Laureate City by VerseFest in Ottawa, and the Victoria Poetry Project. He’s hosted or co-hosted poetry/open mic series like the YTGA Open Mic at Studio.89, Verses Out Loud, and Outer Haven Poetry.
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Featured writers
Dakota Jeane Phillips (She/Her) is a 24-year-old queer woman from the Treaty 13 region of Richmond Hill, Ontario. She has published two full-length poetry collections, Forbidden and Forgotten and Flourish, Norma Jeane, as well as two chapbooks, Dream, Norma Jeane and Witchery. She currently resides in another region of Treaty 13 territory, Scarborough, Ontario and is pursuing a modelling career.
Tahira Rajwani (She/Her) is a South Asian spoken word artist based in Mississauga, Ontario. Her poetry, rooted in themes of diaspora and women’s empowerment, aims to uplift marginalized stories, empower young artists, and foster community dialogue. She is the winner of the 2022 Mississauga Poetry Slam and was runner-up in Button Poetry’s 2022 Poem Cover Contest. She is currently Promotions Lead with Sauga Poetry, an arts organization focused on fostering community amongst local poets. As a recipient of a 2024 Mississauga Arts Council Microgrant, Tahira has recently competed at the Womxn of the World Poetry Slam in Baltimore, Maryland.
Ghazal Faridi (She/Her) is a queer Persian poet and activist for the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. She was one of the first viral TikTok creators to discuss the oppression inflicted on Iranian people. Her work is heavily inspired by absurdist writers, theatre and psychological phenomena. You can find her on Instagram: @cherry_vvin
Vasily Selyuminov (They/Them) is an emerging Toronto poet, currently working on publishing their first poetry collection. Inspired by religious narratives, fantasy, sci-fi, underground Soviet absurdist poetry and classic rock lyrics, Vasily blends spirituality with nihilism and emotional vulnerability with existential themes. A parent of two elementary school kids and a product marketer at a global research & advisory firm by day, Vasily firmly believes in the healing power of artistic self-expression. Vasily’s mission as a poet is to prove that our true identities are not defined by normative roles or societal expectations; and to encourage more creators to get out of their shell and shine. Vasily has an MBA degree from Babson College (Massachusetts, USA), their works appeared in certain theology journals and websites, such as The Wheel, but mostly under aliases. Vasily has also published a children’s book in 2017.
Amy Liou is a Taiwanese-born queer Canadian author living in Mississauga, Ontario. She studied Environment, Resources and Sustainability and International Development at the University of Waterloo before pursuing a teaching degree at Ontario Tech University. Amy has been a passionate writer dating back to her middle school days. She has been featured on Bell Let’s Talk Day panels, on Howl 89.5 FM, at Off the Page at Grimsby Public Library and in magazine publications, such as the uWaterloo Wat Is Zine. She has also performed at several in-person and virtual open mics, including Matt Zaddy, Studio 89 Bridging Borders, Sauga Poetry, OCAD, Howl 89.5 FM and Toronto Reference Library. Can We Talk About It? is her first and current poetry collection featuring intimate and radical poems about relationships, mental health, LGBTQQIP2SAA stories and other social justice issues. It takes you on a journey to explore one’s identity, navigate heartbreak, plunge into escapism, heal the broken heart and provide it with wings to fly and celebrate success stories from the greater community. Can We Talk About It? has already achieved literary recognition and was selected to be part of the Brampton Local Authors Showcase for 2024-2025. Her book has also been reviewed locally and internationally in countries like India.
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Open mic
Anyone attending is welcome to read or perform (if you are a musician) in our open mic sessions.
If you are a writer or musician who would like to perform in the open mic session, we ask that you listen in to at least one session to get the flavour of the evening and join in on your next visit.
To participate in TTSR #42, please contact series curator Gavin or TTSR42 curator Paul Edward Costa. This allows them to line up readers and manage the evening in a way that respects each writer’s work.
The ambience at our readings is intimate, extremely informal and very supportive. Open mic readers are given 4 minutes in total, including a brief introduction to themselves and their work. There are detailed open mic guidelines posted in our FB group.
Open mic readers who have published works they would like to offer for sale are free to mention these upon finishing their readings.
The Tartan Turban Secret Readings 