Poet • Speaker • Social Entrepreneur DWAYNEMORGAN.CA DWAYNE MORGAN’S Media Kit 2 - Biography 3 - Highlights 7 - Events 8 - Appearances 10 - Publishing History / Discography 11 - Awards 12 - Affiliations wayne Morgan began his career as a spoken word artist in 1993. In 1994, while still in high school, he founded Up From The Roots entertainment, to promote the DWAYNE MORGAN’S Dpositive artistic contributions of African Canadian and urban influenced artists. A member of the Writers’ Union of Canada, Morgan has received both the African Canadian biography Achievement Award, and the Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in the Arts. Morgan is the winner of 3 Canadian Urban Music Awards (2001, 2003, 2005). In 1998, Morgan introduced regular poetry slams to Toronto, and has watched them blossom across the GTA and beyond ever since. In 2005 he was recognized as Poet of Honour at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Vancouver. In 2008 Morgan’s contribution to the Arts and Canadian society were recognized on the Legacy Black History Month poster. Dwayne has published 6 books, most recently, Her Favourite Shoes, which followed, The Sensual Musings of Dwayne Morgan (2010), The Making of A Man (2005), The Man Behind The Mic (2002), Long Overdue (1999), and chapbooks, The Revolution Starts Within (1996), and Straight From The Roots (1995). In 2009, Morgan’s work was translated into French, culminating in the book, Le Making of d’un Homme. His albums include, Another Level (1997), The Evolution (2001), Soul Searching (2003), A Decade in the Making (2004), Mellow Mood: The End of the Beginning (2007), and Idle Hands (2011). In 2008, Morgan released a commemorative DVD entitled, Dwayne Morgan The First Fifteen. Dwayne has performed for the former Governor General of Canada, The Honourable Michaelle Jean, and has shared the stage with many of Canada’s top artists including Russell Peters, Deborah Cox, Kardinal Offishal, Jully Black, K-OS, and Nelly Furtado, while opening for international artists Alicia Keys, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Mutabaruka, Ursula Rucker, Colin Channer, and Saul Williams, and recording with Canadian artists including Grammy nominee, Drake. To further explore his creativity, Dwayne collaborated with Driftwood Studios to film, Three Knocks, a ten minute film based on his domestic violence poem of the same name, which premiered in Toronto’s Reel World Film Festival. In March 2008, Dwayne hosted his first photography exhibit, The Sum of Her Parts, exploring female body image. Dwayne’s work ethic has taken him across Canada, the United States, Jamaica, Barbados, England, Scotland, Belgium, Budapest, Germany, France, Norway, and Holland. His emphasis on quality has driven his success, and has made him a well-respected component of Toronto’s urban music community, as well as the North American, and Global, spoken word scenes. Dwayne Morgan DWAYNE MORGAN’S Highlights 2011 • Mixtape, Eartight Volume 1, by DJ Manifest ft. Dwayne Morgan released • Idle Hands, sensual album, released by Up From The Roots • Her Favourite Shoes and Other Stories of Life and Love, published by Up From The Roots 2010 • Cunnilinguistics: The Sensual Musings of Dwayne Morgan, published by Adage Editions, Montreal Quebec 2009 • Le Making of d’un Homme, published by Adage, Montreal, Quebec/maelstrOm reEvolution • Track, Incomplete, appeared on Jef Kearns album, On The Level 2008 • DVD, Dwayne Morgan, The First Fifteen released by Up From The Roots • Track, Samitra, appeared on the Jamie FInlay, I Am Love EP, Wah Wah Records, UK 2007 • Mellow Mood: The End of the Beginning double album, released by Up From The Roots • Track, Any Given Sunday, appeared on the Underground Hits and Exclusive Bits album, Wah Wah Records, UK • The Making of A Man, appears on the album, Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, Volume One 2006 • Track, Bombs Over Brampton, commissioned for and released on the Urban Noise Compilation Album • Track, The Sum of Her Parts, appears on the Kate Bowen EP, Bare 2005 • Produced, Carte Blanche, comedy album featuring Jean Paul and Marc Trinidad • The Making of A Man, published by Up From The Roots • Erotic Anthology, published by Up From The Roots Dwayne Morgan DWAYNE MORGAN’S Highlights Dwayne Morgan DWAYNE MORGAN’S Highlights Dwayne Morgan DWAYNE MORGAN’S Highlights 2004 • A Decade in the Making, double album, released by Up From The Roots 2003 • Released the Toronto International Poetry Slam compilation CD • Soul Searching album, released by Up From The Roots 2002 • The Man Behind the Mic, published by Up From The Roots 2001 • Appeared on the Baby Blue Sound Crew’s Gold Selling compilation album ‘Private Party Volume 2’ (Universal Music Canada) 2000 • The Evolution, album, released by Up From The Roots 1999 • Long Overdue, published by Up From The Roots 1997 • Another Level, album, released by Up From The Roots 1996 • The Revolution Starts Within, chapbook, published by Up From The Roots 1995 • Straight From The Roots, chapbook, published by Up From The Roots Dwayne Morgan DWAYNE MORGAN’S Founder and producer of BLACK PRESENT, a celebration ofevents today’s trailblazers Producer of the 2006 CANADIAN FESTIVAL OF SPOKEN WORD Founder of the ROOTS LOUNGE open mic and POETRY SLAM (1998 – present) Founder of the TORONTO INTERNATIONAL POETRY SLAM (2003 – present) Founder of WHEN BROTHERS SPEAK and WHEN SISTERS SPEAK Spoken Word Concerts (1998 – present) Producer of the WALKING ON WORDS poetry tour which has featured performances in Jamaica, Barbados, Canada, the U.S., Spain, France, Hungary, England, Germany, Belgium, and Holland Dwayne Morgan 2011 Toronto Storytelling Festival Les 15 Cents Coups du Festival, Paris France 2010 Hillside Festival, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Hamilton Fringe Festival Toronto Fringe Festival Montreal Fringe Festival Ontario Writers Conference, Ajax, Ontario 2009 Hillside Festival, Guelph, Ontario, Canada African History Week, Oslo, Norway Hamilton Fringe Festival FiEstival MaelstrOm ReEvolution, Brussels, Belgium Kuumba Festival, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada 2008 Hillside Festival, Guelph, Ontario, Canada DWAYNE MORGAN’S Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, Calgary, Alberta Irie Music Festival, Toronto, Canada Street Seen Urban Arts Festival, Halifax, Nova Scotia Appearances Hamilton Fringe Festival Calgary International Spoken Word Festival 2007 Calgary International Spoken Word Festival Hillside Festival, Guelph, Ontario, Canada Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, Halifax, Nova Scotia Festival Voix d’Ameriques, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2006 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, Toronto, Canada (producer) Mariposa Folk Festival, Orillia, Ontario, Canada Dwayne Morgan DWAYNE MORGAN’S Appearances 2005 2002 Calgary International Spoken Word Festival Irie Music Festival, Toronto, Canada Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Poet of Honour) Hot and Spicy Festival, Harbourfront, Toronto, Canada 2001 Kuumba Festival, Harbourfront, Toronto, Canada Toronto Street Festival, Toronto, Canada 2004 DuMaurier Downtown Jazz Festival, Toronto, Canada Calgary International Spoken Word Festival Toronto Urban Music Festival, Toronto, Canada Kanadai Tavaszi Fesztival, Budapest, Hungary Kuumba Festival, Harbourfront, Toronto, Canada Congaline Music Festival, Barbados, West Indies 2000 Distillery Jazz Festival, Toronto, Canada DuMaurier Downtown Jazz Festival, Toronto, Canada Toronto International Dub Poetry Festival, Toronto, Canada Jamaican Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, Jamaica, West Indies Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 1999 Word Up Spoken Word Expo, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A. North By North East Music Festival, Toronto, Canada Caribana Arts and Music Festival, Toronto, Canada 2003 Toronto Storytelling Festival, Toronto, Canada Kuumba Festival, Harbourfront, Toronto, Canada 1998 Caribana Arts and Music Festival, Toronto, Canada Wordfest, Calgary, Alberta Caribbean Canadian Literary Expo, Toronto, Canada Irie Music Festival, Toronto, Canada 1997 Spoken Word Expo, St. Louis, U.S.A. Caribana Arts and Music Festival, Toronto, Canada Dwayne Morgan DWAYNE 2011 2004 Idle Hands, sensual album, released by Up From The Roots Releases 10 year anniversary double album, A Decade in the Making Her Favourite Shoes and Other Stories of Life and Love, published by Up From The Roots 2003 Releases Toronto International Poetry Slam Compilation CD MORGAN’S 2010 Released album, Soul Searching Cunnilinguistics: The Sensual Musings of Dwayne Morgan, published by Adage Editions, Montreal 2002 2009 Published book, The Man Behind the Mic Le Making of d’un Homme,published by Adage, Montreal, Quebec/maelstrOm reEvolution 2001 Publishing History / Discography History Publishing Appears on the Baby Blue Sound Crew’s Gold Selling compilation album Track, Incomplete, appears on Jef Kearns album, On The Level ‘Private Party Volume 2’ (Universal Music Canada) 2008 Release DVD, Dwayne Morgan, The First Fifteen 2000 Produced album, The Evolution Track, Samitra, appears on the Jamie Finlay, I Am Love EP, Wah Wah Records, UK 2007 1999 Release Mellow Mood: The End of the Beginning double album Published first full length book, Long Overdue Track, Any Given Sunday, appears on the Underground Hits and Exclusive Bits: Two Album, Wah Wah Records, UK The Making of A Man, appears on the album, Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, 1997 Produced Cassette, Another Level Volume One, Toronto 2006 2006 1996 Bombs Over Brampton, commissioned for and released on Produced Chapbook, The Revolution Starts Within the Urban Noise Compilation Album The Sum