Photo by TJ Bonnick.
By Michaela Ritchie
On April 30, 2024, Calgary Arts Development announced that Shone Thistle would become Calgary’s seventh Poet Laureate, stepping into the office from 2024-2026. An avid reader and supporter of our magazine over the years, FreeFall Magazine is thrilled to welcome Shone into this position, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they accomplish in this role, which was previous held by such Calgary artists as Wakefield Brewster, Sheri-D Wilson, and FreeFall’s Editor in Chief, Micheline Maylor.
Shone Thistle is an author, poet and multidisciplinary mixed-media artist. Their work spans radio to jazz ensemble, festival to conference keynote, inner city cabaret to gallery by the sea. In the sport of Slam poetry, they’ve received perfect scores at the world-famous Nuyorican Poets Café.
Shone’s writing can be found in several anthologies, including Mic Check: An Anthology of Canadian Spoken Word Poetry, and YYC POP: Poetic Portraits of the People. Their 2024 projects include both a children’s book about a childhood trip to Carmanah Valley, and a book of poetry about time spent with their deaf dog titled Conversations with Henry.
In addition to serving as Calgary’s latest Poet Laureate — the first genderfluid artist to occupy the role — they are also the Executive Director of Calgary Queer Arts Society, where they find purpose in empowering Queer creativity, joy and community. Over the course of their career, Shone has created measurable impact in service of violence prevention, poverty reduction and equity. They played an integral role in the creation of Calgary’s first permanent Pride and Trans crosswalks, as well as mobilized sector wide leaders in the establishment of Canada’s strongest municipal bylaw against conversion therapy.
But at FreeFall, we know the best way to get acquainted with an artist isn’t to read about their accolades, but experience their creativity, which is why we’ve asked Shone to share a selection of their recent works with us.
The following poems were created in tandem with the mixed media works that accompany them; it is in the process of art-making that Shone writes much of their work. Crafted from drywall compound, plaster, acrylics, latex paint, and metallic inks, the art, and their poetic counterparts, exemplifies a dedication to the Earth, and the shared energy of all living things, that is present throughout Shone’s portfolio.
Fold into me
push the sheets with your feet
so we can feel the summer breeze
awkward and entangled
as familiar as unknown
as estranged as we’ve
allowed ourselves to become
surrender to the memory
fold into me
____________
Shone Thistle
Fold into me (2024)
Mixed media on canvas
18” Framed
Ripples
stardust emulates conscious connection
as if we have a choice.
merging and converging,
together tethered through time.
will you be this familiar
when next we collide?
or so very foreign
we call this love at first sight?
____________
Shone Thistle
Ripples (2023)
Mixed media on canvas
26” Framed
Flow
when surface water paddled churns
dive deep to quiet waters
relax your gaze
reorient yourself
find silt stone sky shimmer
the current is calling
and despite this setback
you still know how to swim
____________
Shone Thistle
Flow (No. 2) 2023
Mixed media on canvas and pine
24” Framed
To learn more about Shone Thistle, and keep an eye on their upcoming appearances in Calgary and beyond, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.