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Dane Swan

Dane Swan is a past Writer in Residence for Open Book Toronto, and has been short listed for the Monica Ladell Award (Scarborough Arts). His first book, “Bending the Continuum,” (Guernica Editions, 2011) was a mid-summer recommended read from Open Book Toronto. Dane's second book, “A Mingus Lullaby,” (Guernica Editions) was a finalist for the 2017 Trillium Book Award for Poetry.
He is also an accomplished slam poet and touring spoken-word performer, placing second at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, third at the Rust Belt Regional Slam and touring the US Midwest and West Coast regions. He has graced numerous festival stages, including: Hillside, Lab Cab, Parkdale Arts, Junction Arts, and Pitter Patter festivals. For four years Dane and Dan D'Onorio hosted Toronto's $100 Slam series.
Mr. Swan's poetry has been taught in schools and has been published in France, the UK, Bahamas, and Canada. His spoken-word work can be found in solo projects and collaborations available on CD, vinyl and MP3. He has read alongside numerous literary luminaries including Goran Sumic, Priscila Uppal, Giana Patriarca, and spoken-word stars including Shayne Koyczan, Dwayne Morgan, and Lillian Allen.
Dane's last 2 books have been works of short fiction. His short story collection, He Doesn't Hurt People Anymore (Dumagrad Books) was launched in 2017. His novella Tuesday (Grey Borders Books) launched a few months later in the Spring of 2018.
The Bermuda born, Jamaican heritage writer is currently a member of the Writers Union of Canada and Poetry in Voice.