Saskatchewan Youth Poet Laureate Peace Akintade presents two emerging youth poets in her Youth Poetry Celebration Series. As Peace points out, these performances and interviews by Saskatchewan youth poets Milly Yusuf and Winter Kornelius Bath remind us of the simple beauty of words and offer a breath of fresh air. We hope you enjoy the videos!
Milly Yusuf (She/Her) is an African Canadian public speaker, poet and writer. Her poetry style is spoken word and slam poetry, through this she touches on many distinct topics ranging from social justice and personal experiences. At the age of eleven, she was mesmerized by the power of poetry as a form of self-expression and instantly fell in love with the arts. She soon began public speaking and performing poetry. With a head consumed in the clouds, her life portrays her love for the arts, culture and self-expression.
Milly’s interview with Peace Akintade
Milly Yusuf’s interview exudes a breath of fresh air in a world collapsing at the seams. She describes poetry as a form of self-expression, where she can find freedom to be uniquely herself. Like her favourite colour yellow, Milly stains the poetry world with sun rays and bold neon lettering. Taking inspiration from nature elements and her personal life, Milly hopes to combine poetry with her environmental activism, and social justice work. Her energy is contagious, and I hope her smile broadens the hearts of everyone that listens!
Winter Kornelius Bath (They/Them) is a ginger who spends way too much time in their own head. They are 17 years old, born and for the most part raised in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. Winter has a passion for and debatable skill in most creative disciplines: Dance, drama, design, drawing, poetic alliteration, etc. They’re currently attending Aden Bowman Collegiate and working to further their skill and refine their practice.
Winter’s art and poetry seeks to be expressive in its exploration of gender, identity, and mental states. They make frequent use of both tactile imagery and metaphor to convey their message. This message is influenced by their lived experience as gender-queer and their complicated relationship with mental health.
In Winter’s opinion, the worst thing to be is boring. Luckily, everything has a story and with the right point of view, every story is interesting.
Winter’s interview with Peace Akintade
Winter Kornelius describes poetry as a “telescope into their mind” in this soft-textured interview. The way they look at the world, and further communicate the complex perspective of life, is only through art media like art, poetry, and dancing. Working with themes of self-expression, mental health, and self-identity, Winter reminds us of the simple beauty of words. As youths, it is important that we have the resources to further our talents. Winter’s journey is an example of the power of support in this rollercoaster life. I am fortunate to engage in insightful conversations with them, and look forward to their future in the art community.
For more information about our Youth Poet Laureate program, check out our website or follow Peace on Facebook @skyouthpoetlaureate.