T.L. Cowan

The work of Edmonton-based spoken word artist T.L. Cowan has been described as bitterly funny, cerebral, slutty, and shrill. Her work can be found in four chapbooks, Poems for the man who made me (2000), Working Title and Other Poems to be Sung Out Loud (2002), For These Thy Gifts (2003), and The Twisted She Poems: A Performance Cycle as well as in publications and recordings in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.

T.L.’s ongoing performance cycle, The Twisted She Poems, takes up everyday interactions and makes them strange. These poems revel in the weird, uncomfortable, abject, and painful while simultaneously finding hope or humour in the midst of social misery. The most recent additions to this cycle includes a series of poems/enactments that binge on failed femme identities: bitten nails, short hair, fashion malfunctions, misplaced desire – all in the name of high-romance and intrigue. This summer, T.L. is working with five Edmonton artists to produce an inter-media performance collage of this cycle, and will present this “experimental culmination” in early Fall 2009.

T.L.’s broader practice includes persona-based performance, cereal-based improvisations, and interactive fashion shows. T.L. also has a Ph.D. in English Literature, and conducts research on popular and activist forms of literary and anti-literary performance in Canada.