Hyper-Chakra Balancing with Nathanael Larochette!

Nathanael's an Ontario poet who is so keen to perform for the ToF audience, that he came over to the Island two days early to hang out and grok our town! And answer a few question for the blog! Come check out his transcendent and transformative performance this Thursday April 22 at the Solstice Cafe...

One burning question we wanna get outta the way right off the bat: what's it like working with Raffi?

I actually didn't get to work for him, I just opened for him at a conference. When I finished, I sat down, felt a hand on my back, looked up, and there he was. He put out his hand and said "I'm Raffi"

Damn! Raffi! You do a lot of work with students and youth in Ottawa, introducing them to spoken word. What draws you to the kids and what do they take away from the experience?

I'm drawn to the raw potential they hold and I hope that they learn to express it creatively and honestly after the workshop.

Let's slap a label on you: Poet? Performer? Spoken Word Artist? Slam Poet?

How about, "Full-time Human being"...

Even better! And let's take that label off (cuz labels aren't nice): now who are you? How do you see yourself in the world?

I'm a person with gifts that I enjoy cultivating and sharing. I see myself as a mystical minstrel in a world full of magic.

How did you feel the first time you stepped up a mic to read what you had written? How long ago was that?

I felt nervous, I think. That's probably right. Nervous excitement is usually the feeling. It was about... 5 years ago I'd say.

What's the next poetry-related goal you want to fulfill?

Perform a feature set at Tongues of Fire!

Done and done! Can you tell us about the poem you haven't written yet?

You mean the one that will change the consciousness of the entire world? It's a life-long work in progress.

Nice. What are the subjects that really engage you?

I really enjoy poems that stick with you for years. Ones that have amazing lines that are able to illuminate everything when you hear them.

We run your poetry through the ice-cream maker: what flavour do we get at the business end?

Enlighten-mint!