Neko Smart

Neko Smart is a recent graduate of UBC’s BFA Creative Writing program. As 2020 Victoria City Youth Poet Laureate, they emphasised the importance of cultivating open dialogue about mental health in order to reduce stigma and increase safety, particularly for youth. They carry this value with them in all their artistic and leadership endeavours: as a member of the organising committee for the 2020/2021 Victorious Voices youth arts festival, as a member of the Wordplay poetry workshop facilitation roster, and as former slam coordinator for the UBC Slam Poetry Club. They were a finalist in the 2023 and 2024 Canadian Individual Poetry Slams. They are currently sitting as Van Slam Champion.

Region: Lower Mainland