'I can make people feel loved': Hamilton poet wins Canadian poetry slam

Hamilton poet Eddie Lartey says he "wanted to be a rapper." But, the words came more easily than the music. 

"I realized that I'm much better at writing," he says.

He tells his stories now through the spoken word and his words are finding their way into the hearts and minds of new audiences. 

Lartey, 29, won the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (CIPS) this past Friday, beating out 16 other poets nationwide. 

The CIPS is a hybrid, spoken-word poetry competition held in Vancouver, B.C. — and over Zoom for those who could not make the trek out west. 

Although he's competed in poetry competitions before, this was Lartey's first competition flying solo. 

Participants would go head-to-head with "matchups," Lartey says. The contestants were judged by five random audience members. 

Lartey says he won, in large part, because the poems he was reciting resonated.

"I think a lot of the poems I had were translated well because they were incredibly relatable, they were personal yet universal."

WATCH | Eddie Lartey performs at the Art Gallery of Hamilton in 2021:

"The deeper we go into our own experience, we have a greater chance to connect with people and we also realize: 'hey, we're a part of this larger experience, which is the human experience.'" 

He first noticed, back in high school, how the power of his words could move people. It made them happy.

Lartey describes one high school class where students were encouraged to show their work. He noticed that people "gravitated toward his work," when he was done writing at his desk. 

"People said my work moves them," he said. "And I realized there's an emotional impact on people. I can make people feel good. I can make people feel loved, I can speak to emotions that they don't want to articulate." 

"I have this way of connecting with people that I never really had before." 

Bringing it home

In addition to being a competitive poet, Lartey is also part of the Hamilton You Poets (HYP) — a local organization that creates programming in Hamilton to engage with poets in the community. 

According to Lartey, Hamilton is chock-full of local poets who have potential and talent but the city lacks the opportunity for them compared to bigger cities like Toronto. 

"The artistry here is amazing. The poets here are truly unique and they definitely have their own style. I think we have an incredible wealth of talent in the community." 

One way that Lartey is helping to improve Hamilton's poetry scene is his role in HYP's Breaking Through the Vault, in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH). 

Breaking Through the Vault is a monthly poetry club that launched in March and is hosted by Lartey, which he said helps him "give young poets a voice and platform to share their work." 

The next session is May 12. While poets will be able to share their work amongst themselves, Lartey said it'll also help hone their skills and hopefully make them feel more self-assured in their work. 

"The sharing of stories is super important, but also the confidence that you get to share your stories — I think it builds a lot of confidence in some of the students and participants," he said. 

'A vessel for creativity'

Before experiencing a board take-over recently, the Hamilton You Poets was formerly known as the Hamilton Youth Poets. 

But that name change has a significant meaning, according to Tanya Pineda, 23, a coordinator at the organization. 

"We re-established ourselves as the Hamilton You Poets to be a more inclusive organization that does not just focus on youth, but not anybody who loves poetry," she said. 

Like Lartey, Pineda agrees that Hamilton is not as well established in the art scene as some other major Canadian cities. She said that may be due to the lack of arts funding in Hamilton.

"Hamilton is historically an underfunded city for the arts," she said. "We don't necessarily get the same arts opportunities — but I think that's developing and changing." 

Pineda said the HYP's job is to make sure that their programming reaches writers in Hamilton to create a platform through which they can practice their art. 

When the HYP first formed in 2012, she said there was an obvious need for an avenue for writers to come together and do just that.

"It birthed from a need, as well as legacy," Pineda said. 

One way they ensure this is by putting on regular poetry slams, encouraging writers in the community to put their work out in the open — no matter where they come from. 

"Spoken word is a way to engage folks who may normally fall through the cracks," she said. 

While the HYP has team members, ultimately the way to join is to participate in community events and to "serve other people and engage them with poetry," Pineda said. 

"Be a vessel for creativity and opportunity, and to not just profit off of all the access that is available, essentially."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.