Joel McKerrow
Joel McKerrow is an Australian performance poet, writer, educator, youth worker, and activist based out of Melbourne, Australia. He is the Co-founder and Co-director of ‘The Centre for Poetics and Justice’ (www.cpj.org.au), a nationally recognised not-for-profit, community arts organisation focused on using poetics as a form of literary education, self-expression and social engagement for marginalised teenagers.
He was a feature poet on the Global Poetics 2011 tour of Australia and has performed alongside Ken Arkind (US National Slam Champion), Mahogany Brown, Jive Poetic and Shane Koyczan (US and Canadian National Slam Champion). He was also a feature poet on the ‘Please Resist Me’ 2012 tour of Australia alongside Australian National Slam Champion Luka Lesson and on the 2012 international ‘Soles of Australia tour’ throughout Canada. He has been a Victorian state finalist for the Australian Poetry slam in both 2010 and 2011. His words can also be found on the pages of his first book release, Beyond Rhetoric – Writings in the Tradition of Kahlil Gibran (published by UNOH publishing with foreword by Fr. Richard Rohr) and in his debut spoken word album- ‘One Foot in the Clay’.
With a passionate performance style he has been commended by Canadian performance poet Virtuoso, Shane Koyczan as, ‘an exceptional spoken word artist...fiercely political and humane’ and by the Australian National Poetry Slam Champion, Luka Lesson, as, ‘a true leader in Australia's performance poetry scene...A man who can tear a roof down with his performances and bring tears with his subtle eloquence’.
