Zoey Roy (Nêhithaw-Denesuline Métis) is a celebrated spoken word poet and community-based educator from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She is a proud member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, a signatory of Treaty Six.
Zoey has performed as a spoken word artist worldwide. In 2021, she featured at the World Expo in Dubai; travelled with the National Youth Orchestra, a 104-piece ensemble, on a 16-date tour across Canada; and developed two orchestral spoken word shows: Enough is Enough with the Regina Symphony Orchestra and Ever, Beautiful with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Poetry has been a mainstay in Zoey’s life, a gift she shares through her practice as an educator. Living with c-PTSD and ADHD, Zoey credits poetry for helping her stay in tune with the rhythm of her life.
Since childhood, Zoey has focused on community-based arts and education to build strength-based connections, first as a student and now as a teacher. She understands that supporting young people with a space to practice their craft develops their aptitude for self-expression. As an Indigenous woman, she recognizes this as a superpower that can save lives, shift cultures, and inspire change.
Today, she leads the Sound Scholars team as a community-based artist who writes and records songs with students throughout Ontario. She recently completed the Medicine Songs project, a community-based arts project featuring Indigenous grandmothers who wrote rap songs and filmed music videos across Canada.
Through her company, Zoey Roy Creative Consulting, she heads a research team that assists stakeholders in increasing the number of Indigenous individuals succeeding in TV and Film while removing barriers specifically for Indigenous women and girls in the industry.
Her work in the creative industries across Canada is driven by her passion for her culture and her commitment to her family and community.
Zoey holds a Bachelor of Education from SUNTEP at the University of Saskatchewan and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Johnston Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. She is on the home stretch of a PhD in Education from York University.
She resides in Ottawa, Ontario, with her partner, Omar, her son Tayo, and her mom, Maxine Roy.
Some of her deadly awards include the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Women of Distinction Award (2013), the Indspire Award (2015), the Saskatchewan Arts Board Award for Education (2022); the University of Saskatchewan’s One to Watch (2023); and Ontario’s Arts Educator of the Year (2024).
If you’re curious about Zoey’s collaborations, check out www.zoeyroy.com!
Photo Credit: Red Works Photography
Saskatoon poet and author named USask Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence: https://news.usask.ca/articles/colleges/2021/saskatoon-poet-and-author-named-usask-indigenous-storyteller-in-residence.php
Indigenous artist from Saskatchewan featured in national ad campaign: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/indigenous-artist-featured-national-campaign-1.6268376
Zoey Roy first Indigenous author to participate in NAC's #CanadaPerforms: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/unreserved-s-self-isolation-book-club-what-indigenous-authors-are-reading-during-the-pandemic-1.5556414/zoey-roy-first-indigenous-author-to-participate-in-nac-s-canadaperforms-1.5556418
'We're sounding like one': Poet uses hip hop for cultural connection in Indigenous classroom
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/zoey-roy-hip-hop-st-frances-cree-school-1.4912182
Zoey Roy's homecoming: finding a safe place after homelessness: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/zoey-roy-s-homecoming-finding-a-safe-place-after-homelessness-1.3330436
Saskatoon Métis artist Zoey Roy wins National Indspire Award: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-artist-zoey-roy-indspire-award-1.3432195
Activist Zoey Roy calls for boycott of Spirit Halloween store over Indigenous costumes: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/spirit-halloween-zoey-roy-indigenous-costumers-1.3800081
Poet turned life around by connecting to Indigenous culture: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/poet-turned-life-around-connecting-indigenous-culture-1.3576137
Kokums embrace hip hop by creating their own Cree rap video: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/kokum-cree-rap-1.5256315
Zoey Roy comes face to face with the colonizers: https://www.vice.com/en/article/kwk5v9/face-to-face-with-colonizers-metis-artist-zoey-roy-on-meeting-the-royals-and-trudeau
This campaign features a poem I wrote called 'Unsilent' to honour Indigenous youth with an effort to bear witness to the challenges they face.
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