Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony

Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony is a Toronto writer, performer, arts educator and curator who has been teaching and performing across Toronto for the last 15+ years. A member of the Canadian League of Poets, her poetry appears in print in “Guerillas of the Word” and “If I Ran the School”, and “Feminism: Revisit, Revise, Revolutionize”. Her work has also been featured in media on Bell Fibe TV, Huffington Post Canada, AfroGlobal TV, Metro Morning and CBC Morning. Notable performances include a TEDx Talk feature (2019), feature performer at When Sister’s Speak (March 2017 and 2019) and competing on the finals stage at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (October 2015 & 2017). In February 2020, an excerpt of her co-written play, How Jab Jab Saved the Pretty Mas, was featured on stage at the Piece of Mine’s Black Women in Theatre Festival.

Paulina has been using spoken word to teach young people in a number of communities about self-education, expression and empowerment. In addition to previously teaching at Harbourfront Centre, where she developed the SLAM Poetry program for the Schools Visits department, she has and continues to develop curriculum and teach workshops for schools, community centers and community organizations such as Lakeshore Arts, TDSBCreates, Love Music Initiative and ListenUP! Etobicoke.