Bashar Lulu Jabbour is an immigrant poet! He uses the mundane to give you a glimpse of the complexities of leaving one home for another. Bashar is a storyteller, and his stories are deeply personal. He is a nationally competing poet, reaching finals of both individual and team competitions in Canada. His poetry is a staple at the many festivals of Kitchener-Waterloo (where he resides) and southwest Ontario, including Cherry Festival, Latitudes Storytelling Festival, and Word on the Street. He was an opening act for artists such as Carlos Andres Gomez and national festivals like Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. His debut book has been funded by Ontario Arts Council, Waterloo Region Arts Fund, and Public Interest Research Groups, and will be released in late 2018.

Bashar is also active an arts organizer. Since 2015, Bashar has been the co-artistic director of the Kitchener Waterloo Poetry Slam. In his role, he has focused on building community through consistent intimate events (poetry circles, writing circles and workshops), as well as accountability and conversation. He is also the organizer of Tea + Art, a writing workshop series for Non-binary and Women of Colour. He is relentless in pursuing artistic growth through community building, organizing and skill exchange.

Bashar will be defending “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi