Alumna Adebe D. A. (BA Spec. Hons. ’08, MA ’09), whose debut poetry collection ex nihilo was longlisted for the University of Wales’ Dylan Thomas Prize, will be reading today at York.
The reading will take place from 4 to 5:30pm in the Paul Delaney Gallery, 320 Bethune College, Keele campus, as part of the Studio Reading Series hosted by the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. All are welcome.
Adebe D. A. (right) has been published in the Canadian Woman Studies Journal, The Claremont Review, Canadian Literature, CV2 and the Toronto Star. She also wrote the Back Talk column in the December issue of YorkU magazine.
She began writing the pieces that would make up her poetry collection when she was 19 and doing her bachelor of arts in English at York. She wasn’t content with simply writing poetry for the page, however, and was driven to perform it as well. Some 
of her written work became part of her spoken word acts.
In 2005, she became Toronto’s first Junior Poet Laureate after winning the Toronto Poetry Competition, hosted by the Toronto Star. And in 2007, her chapbook of poems, Sea Change, was published by Burning Effigy Press. (See YFile, July 30, 2010.)
A former assistant editor for Existere, York’s journal of arts and literature, Adebe D. A.’s collection came about after she entered her manuscript in the Dektet – A Celebration of Canadian Poetry 2010 competition, put on by Frontenac House in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Ex nihilo was one of 10 chosen to be published from more than 200 entries.