spoken-word, evalyn parry seamlessly weaves together the political, the personal, the poetic and the hilarious, capturing the human experience with "relevance, intensity and wit".
Whether she’s costumed as a life-sized, singing maxi-pad, ranting and rhyming her savvy poetic commentaries, or playing the concertina, evalyn’s live performances are as intimate as they are bold and thought-provoking. Her unabashedly queer perspective and her assured, arresting voice are winning her an enthusiastic, loyal following where ever she performs.
evalyn’s distinctive spoken word pieces have been commissioned and broadcast on numerous CBC Radio programs, and she was one of five Toronto poets chosen to compete in CBC Radio’s National Poetry Face Off in 2002. Performance highlights over the past two years include being featured across Canada and the USA at music festivals, colleges and universities, political events, poetry slams and theatrical cabarets, including: The Ottawa Folk Festival; North By NorthEast Music Festival; Women’s Voices Festival, Ontario; Circe Women’s Festival, Michigan; Pride Toronto; The National Arts Centre, Ottawa; Nightwood Theatre’s FemCab; Strange Sisters Cabaret at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto; The Practically Outrageous Conference with Patch Adams, San Francisco; The Gay Life and Style Show, Toronto; The Comedy Network’s March of Dames, and many more. .
Since the release of her debut album things that should be warnings (Ponygirl Records, 2001) evalyn was chosen as the 2001 recipient of the Beth Ferguson Award for Upcoming Songwriter (Ottawa Folk Festival); the album was chosen as a CBC Radio "Disc of the Week", and has charted in the top 10 on campus and community radio stations around the country. Her new album of music and spoken word, Unreasonable, is produced by acclaimed Canadian roots music producer Ken Whiteley, released on her own Outspoke label (March 2003).
When she’s not on the road, evalyn makes her home in Toronto, where she is active in the alternative theatre scene; she has written/created and performed in four independent theatre productions: Clean Irene and Dirty Maxine (co-written with Anna Chatterton), The Freelance Lover (a gay comic musical), The Great Canadian Whore and The Former Republic of Poetry.
She likes to ride her bike.
