In Chasing Shadows, Toronto writers Adi Dasgupta, Kishan Baskaran, and Jamil Shamji invite you to explore dark places through verse and rhyme. This poetry anthology attempts to break down walls and find safe spaces in forgotten communities to be vulnerable, to be accountable, and perhaps, to heal. Compiled within this collection are narratives of violence, community, poverty, relationships, loss, sickness, and men's mental health. Inspired by lived experience on the fringes, and professional backgrounds supporting marginalized populations in Toronto, the writers endeavor to shed light on uncomfortable truths. Generous and defiant, these contemporary poems encourage honest and critical self-reflection. Reconciling with the mess. Finding rhythm to the chaos. Letting go with words. Chasing shadows.
Baskaran, Kishan: - Collectively, Adi Dasgupta, Kishan Baskaran, and Jamil Shamji are Vibe Creative Labs, a Toronto organization focused on creating mixed-media art, educational curriculum, and supporting local artists and youth with their creative journeys. They developed this platform after designing workshops, building events, and supporting local businesses in Toronto's most vulnerable neighbourhoods. Their collective goal is to celebrate diversity and champion initiatives that combat poverty and oppression, through creatively uplifting marginalized voices.
Adi is an educator by trade, who uses a background in professional writing and critical pedagogy to creatively capture narratives of growth, turmoil and diversity through mixed-media art and supporting grassroots artists. Adi's recent experience battling cancer serves as the core inspiration for one of the sections of Chasing Shadows.
Kishan leverages experiences as a social worker and academic researcher to explore the lived experiences of youth and families facing barriers to integrating into Canadian society. Kishan's research and portfolio of work has contributed to the organization's development of community-based educational/wellness opportunities for oppressed populations.
Jamil has been a longstanding pillar of support, mentoring hundreds of young people in Toronto in academic and professional pursuits. With a background in economics, business administration, and life-coaching, Jamil supports entrepreneurs and self-starters of all sorts with actualizing their creative potential.
Adi, Kishan, and Jamil live in Scarborough and Toronto, Ontario.
Dasgupta, Adi: - Collectively, Adi Dasgupta, Kishan Baskaran, and Jamil Shamji are Vibe Creative Labs, a Toronto organization focused on creating mixed-media art, educational curriculum, and supporting local artists and youth with their creative journeys. They developed this platform after designing workshops, building events, and supporting local businesses in Toronto's most vulnerable neighbourhoods. Their collective goal is to celebrate diversity and champion initiatives that combat poverty and oppression, through creatively uplifting marginalized voices.
Adi is an educator by trade, who uses a background in professional writing and critical pedagogy to creatively capture narratives of growth, turmoil and diversity through mixed-media art and supporting grassroots artists. Adi's recent experience battling cancer serves as the core inspiration for one of the sections of Chasing Shadows.
Kishan leverages experiences as a social worker and academic researcher to explore the lived experiences of youth and families facing barriers to integrating into Canadian society. Kishan's research and portfolio of work has contributed to the organization's development of community-based educational/wellness opportunities for oppressed populations.
Jamil has been a longstanding pillar of support, mentoring hundreds of young people in Toronto in academic and professional pursuits. With a background in economics, business administration, and life-coaching, Jamil supports entrepreneurs and self-starters of all sorts with actualizing their creative potential.
Adi, Kishan, and Jamil live in Scarborough and Toronto, Ontario.
Shamji, Jamil: - Collectively, Adi Dasgupta, Kishan Baskaran, and Jamil Shamji are Vibe Creative Labs, a Toronto organization focused on creating mixed-media art, educational curriculum, and supporting local artists and youth with their creative journeys. They developed this platform after designing workshops, building events, and supporting local businesses in Toronto's most vulnerable neighbourhoods. Their collective goal is to celebrate diversity and champion initiatives that combat poverty and oppression, through creatively uplifting marginalized voices.
Adi is an educator by trade, who uses a background in professional writing and critical pedagogy to creatively capture narratives of growth, turmoil and diversity through mixed-media art and supporting grassroots artists. Adi's recent experience battling cancer serves as the core inspiration for one of the sections of Chasing Shadows.
Kishan leverages experiences as a social worker and academic researcher to explore the lived experiences of youth and families facing barriers to integrating into Canadian society. Kishan's research and portfolio of work has contributed to the organization's development of community-based educational/wellness opportunities for oppressed populations.
Jamil has been a longstanding pillar of support, mentoring hundreds of young people in Toronto in academic and professional pursuits. With a background in economics, business administration, and life-coaching, Jamil supports entrepreneurs and self-starters of all sorts with actualizing their creative potential.
Adi, Kishan, and Jamil live in Scarborough and Toronto, Ontario.
