About
About Thandiwe McCarthy
I am a 7th-generation African Canadian spoken word poet, writer, public speaker, and culture correspondent for Maritime EDIT magazine. Through my “Vibe Harvesting” performances I create poetry live at events across the Maritimes, turning moments into medicine.
I co-founded the New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance and helped organize the provincial Emancipation Celebration. I played a key role in having August 1st recognized as Emancipation Day in New Brunswick. My Still Here Initiative celebrates fifteen generational Black New Brunswick families and launches nationally in August 2026 with a major exhibition at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and a book published by Goose Lane Editions.
Under Jelani Books I publish my own work and support other Black voices. I offer public speaking, project consulting, and 30-minute idea discussions. I live and create in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Selected Highlights
- Still Here Initiative – national exhibition & Goose Lane book launch, August 2026
- Atlantic Black Changemaker Award, CBC (2023)
- John Edwards Bursary, National Trust for Canada (2025)
- 30+ poetry performances including Halifax Convention Centre, Frye Festival, Emancipation Day
- Culture correspondent, Maritime EDIT magazine
- Co-founder, New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance
- Peer Assessor, Canada Council for the Arts
- Artist-in-Residence, Frye Festival (2025) and Arteles, Finland (2024)