WRITER
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PERFORMER
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MUSICIAN
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ABOUT
Tanya Davis is a writer and performer based in rural Epekwitk / Prince Edward Island. As PEI’s current Poet Laureate, she speaks to local issues and events and advocates for literacy, literature, and the power of words. Tanya writes on commission for governmental and non-profit organizations and collaborates regularly, working in music, poetry, theatre, and film. She has been releasing albums and publishing her writing since 2006 and has been supported by The Canada Council, The Banff Centre for the Arts, and Innovation PEI, among others. With collaborator Andrea Dorfman, she made the hit video How to be Alone, as well as the follow up How to be at Home (produced by the National Film Board). She also starred in Dorfman’s feature film Heartbeat, which premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival. Tanya is past Poet Laureate of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was an Artist-in-Residence at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine. Her latest stage work, Mass for Shut-Outs, is a comedic and critical commentary on Sunday service; it was a featured presentation at Under the Spire Music Festival for the 2024 session. She is currently developing a new solo show, set to premier in 2025.
UPCOMING SHOWS
March 19th, 2025 – 7:30pm
The Pourhouse, Charlottetown PEI
Jack Pine Folk Club
Organized by Shane Pendergast, this edition will feature country-folk duo “County Line Romance” (Tanya Davis and Carlie Howell), as well as songwriter Ben Kunder, and poet Jane Lewell.
$20 at the door. Click here for more
March 21, 2025 – 6:30pm
The Guild, Charlottetown PEI
PEI Writer’s Guild Fundraiser
Pop-up cocktail bar, silent auctions, readings, and more all in support of the PEI Writer’s Guild.
April 12, 2025 – 7:00pm
Bar1911, Charlottetown PEI
Slide Piece: A Powerpoint Comedy Show
Hosted by local comedian Shawn Hogan, Slide Piece is a wonderfully weird comedy show where performers present a 15-minute PowerPoint on any topic they choose, but with a twist!
May 23-24, 2025
Confederation Centre for the Arts, Charlottetown PEI
Charlottetown Forum:
Poetic Respondent
Tanya will attend the panels and discussions taking place during the Forum, and craft and present a poetic response to the Forum’s themes at the closing reception.
June 15th, 2025 – 7:30pm
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Charlotte Street Arts Centre
Mass for Shut-Outs is a shout out to anyone grappling with the complexity of faith, the inconsistency of awe, and the politics of organized religion. Touring across Atlantic Canada in 2025, stay tuned for venues near you!
$20/$25
Click here for tickets
February 8, 2025
Copper Bottom Brewing – Montague, PEI
Copper Bottom Presents: The Burning Hell with Tanya Davis
January 2025
Woodford Folk Festival, Australia
The Burning Hell with Tanya Davis
January 3- Little Lost Bookshop, Kotoomba
January 9- Petersham Bowling Club, Sydney
January 11- Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
January 12- The Retreat Hotel, Melbourne
VIDEOS
THEATRE
Mass For Shut Outs
Mass for Shut-Outs is a shout out to anyone grappling with the complexity of faith, the inconsistency of awe, and the politics of organized religion. Loosely referencing the framework of a Catholic mass, it is a poetic take on Sunday service, exploring enduring questions through a joyful, critical, and comedic lens. It is for atheists seeking connection, agnostics asking questions, and believers kindly curious about other people’s gods.
Seeker
Gallivanting around themes of connection and isolation, pointlessness and purpose, Seeker is an attempt to sift through the noise of ambition to find the nuance of being here in the first place. The latest work-in-progress by PEI Poet Laureate Tanya Davis, it is a candid and comedic commentary on the many ways we seek, the realities we find, and the truth we miss along the way.
With support from PEI Arts Grants
I’d love to hear from you
info@tanyadavis.ca
Join me on Substack!
