TORONTO’S FIRST YOUTH POET LAUREATE
SHAHADDAH JACK
Upcoming Events
Celebrate Black History with a FREE night of poetry at the Archives—Lillian Allen, Shahaddah Jack + 12 guest poets. Read. Recite. Rejoice!
Black History in Verse is a free, intergenerational evening of poetry celebrating Black history, legacy, and living voices in Canadian literature.
Hosted by Toronto Poet Laureate Lillian Allen and Toronto Youth Poet Laureate Shahaddah Jack, the night brings together a dozen poets from across the Black diaspora. Through spoken word, performance, and reflection, poets will read, recite, and rejoice in stories rooted in Black history and the legacy of Canadian poetry.
Join us on Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 PM at It’s OK Studios (468 Queen St W)* for Toronto’s only monthly youth poetry slam, where spoken word legends and the city’s most talented youth poets come together to celebrate, build, and slam.
Hosted by: Shahaddah Jack & Randell Adjei
Special Guests: Dwayne Morgan, Britta B., Ian Keteku, Jadyn Hardie-Bardie
Poets: Secure your spot early by sending a DM to @torontoyouthpoetryslam, or sign up at the door (limited spaces available)
When Sisters Speak is North America’s largest showcase of Black female spoken-word artists, founded by Dwayne Morgan.
On March 7, 2026 at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Shahaddah Jack will perform alongside Karessa McQueen, Maya Spoken, Tracey Kayy, K Love the Poet, and Masterpiece in a powerful evening of soul-stirring poetry celebrating identity, resilience, and the Black female experience.
i AM A POEM OUT NOW
Shahaddah’s New Single!
UNDERRATED ROYALTY AVAILABLE NOW
Shahaddah’s Debut Poetry Book is an Ode to Her Girlhood, Community, and Blackness. You Can Get Your Copy on Amazon or at House of Moses.
Now accepting bookings for 2026
I am a spoken word artist, human rights activist, and Toronto’s first Youth Poet Laureate, using poetry to inspire, challenge, and uplift. You can book me for performances, workshops, speaking engagements, and custom poetry commissions that center storytelling, empowerment, and social justice. Whether on stage, in classrooms, or at community events, I bring raw emotion, powerful narratives, and a deep commitment to amplifying voices that need to be heard.