Lady Vanessa

Lady Vanessa Cardona is a mestiza, Colombian, first generation immigrant artist, poet, theatre practitioner, community organizer, dance instructor and photographer. She started her spoken word career in Windhoek, Namibia and currently lives in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton), Treaty 6 Territory. Lady Vanessa is the 2018 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion. She graduated with a BFA and specialization in Theatre and Development from Concordia University. She has written and performed her own one woman show called “Three Ladies” at the Edmonton Found Festival of 2017. She is also a co-creator and performer of “Whiteface” produced with Mile Zero Dance, Hip-hop in the park, Winnipeg and Edmonton Fringe Festival. Lady is a mentor of a refugee youth leadership group called, “Newcomers are lit” officially known as the Canadian Council for Refugees Youth Network. She is the founder of “Fiesta y Resistancia” Alberta’s interdisciplinary Latinx art Festival. Lady has toured and competed around Canada and the United States promoting her art as an Edmonton local artist and proud member of the Breath in Poetry collective. She features in the chapbook Water, published by Glass Buffalo. Lady is currently working on her upcoming book La Sangre Llama. Lady believes in the healing powers art provides for our community. Healing is not polite; art allows us to be the frankest versions of ourselves so that we may strengthen our souls, minds and the community around us. Art is where we come together through unity of purpose.