I am a Brazilian-Canadian poet, curator, and facilitator
dedicated to using the tools of creative writing and storytelling
as catalysts for social change and climate action.
"Alyssa exudes warmth and excitement as an educator. Alongside the students she learns with and from, she generates a safe container for imagination to flow. She makes poetry more accessible, and for that reason, everyone leaves feeling a little bit more curious."
—Heather Prost, Head Facilitator & Regional Lead Western Canada at DAREarts
Publications
Literature Pop-Ups
In Public Spaces
Instructions for grieving
A guerilla-style poetry installation at bus stops along a major artery in Vancouver, Canada. An invitation to slow down and connect to place, this project aimed to disrupt the hustle and make space for quiet, rebellious reflections. The project involved multiple collaborators who developed similar urban disruptions at sister sites, and was led by artist Kimberley Richards.
August, 2022
[Unprecedented Title]
Twenty copies of the [Unprecedented Title] manuscript have been placed in park spaces and neighbourhood libraries across Vancouver, Canada. Readers who stumble across a copy will find instructions on how to add their own pandemic reflections to this neighbourhood-based storytelling project.
February, 2022
Poetry at Trout Lake
An audio tour as part of the 2021 Car Free Vancouver Festival, which encourages Vancouver residents to explore the neighbourhood of East Van by walking and listening to stories. My portion of the audio tour invites audiences to connect to the land through observational poetry.
September, 2021
ਸਾਡੀਆਂ ਯਾਦਾਂ:
Our Memories
A ground mural reflecting the written and oral stories shared by ten storytellers—Darshan Sangha, Harjinder Grewal, Harvinder Aulakh, Kanta Kalia, Kulwant Shoker, Manjit Jugpal, Paramjit Kalkat, Ravinder Hundal, Shanti Devi Toor, and Suminder Gill—as part of a creative writing and oral storytelling project at the Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre.
Project Co-Developed with Muralist
June, 2021
A Poetic Landscape
A reflective and participatory poetry installation at Library Park (UBC) as part of BC Culture Days (Vancouver, BC)
September, 2019
Blog
All the While, We Melt
All the While, We Melt” is a collection of poetry in development that will employ an eco-feminist lens to address topics relating to environmental degradation in the Canadian Arctic.
Poetry is a way of witnessing the other—in this case, our non-human relatives. To achieve this, my intention with this body of work is to personify elements of Arctic regions—her eroding soil, her sharp cliffs, her unpredictable volcanoes—in order to connect readers to these entities in an intimate way. By learning from these perspectives, my hope is that readers will develop a new way of connecting to these remote and vulnerable ecosystems.
In development: 2022-2023
Release Date: Early 2024
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