Ian French [ Poet + Speaker + Author ]
Ian French (IF THE POET) is an internationally renowned poet and spoken word artist, known for his electrifying, highly emotional performance style and personal, spiritually charged poetry.
He is the subject of two highly acclaimed documentaries; IF THE POET, produced by CBC (Canadian broadcasting Corporation) and directed by filmmaker Kim Saltarski, which chronicled his entry into the competitive world of slam poetry at age 50, and a short film produced by BRAVO!, also entitled IF THE POET.
Ian describes his poems as “channeling the wisdom of Spirit, the rage of the wounded and the yearning that resides in every human heart.” He says “every poem I write is a ‘shout out’ to the sacredness of our days, a three-chord party jam, and a tribute to the triumph of love over fear.”
Ian is the 2014 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion and a member of the 2013 National Champion Toronto Poetry Slam Team. He is also a prolific writer of traditional page poetry.
Source: http://ifthepoet.com/ian-french/
Ian French has been a guest on 1 episode.
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#005: IF The Poet - "Renaissance Reincarnated"
November 3rd, 2018 | Season 1 | 2 hrs 18 mins
art, education, history, humanity, inspiration, love, masculinity, music, poetry, politics, racism
In this episode of the AwokenWord podcast, Anuj Rastogi talks to Ian French, popularly known as "IF The Poet" and finalist in the 2015 World Slam Poetry championship in Paris. Ian has been the subject of a CBC documentary, and is a respected performer whose work spans the breadth of our collective, and individual human experiences. Anuj and Ian talk at length about the state of the world today, poetry, the journey of creativity, masculinity in today's world, being honest, the nuances of identity politics and political correctness, self-love and the importance of knowing your own story.
[*NOTE: Though planned at the time of this recording, Ian ultimately pulled out of present at the 2018 "Men and Masculinity Summit" in Toronto, for specific concerns of his own regarding a decision for this year's sumit. He's continued to be a supporter of the summit, and the cause.]