Award winning writer, community engaged artist and consultant, Lishai Peel has
over a decade of experience working in the arts and culture sector. Alongside
being a working writer, Lishai has freelanced for various institutions and youth
serving organizations, supporting them to think through matters of access,
representation, and equity in the arts. Lishai’s approach is fuelled by a
recognition that people know what is best for their communities and any work
that is carried out, programming or advocacy, must be deeply rooted in local
contexts. She is the City of Hamilton’s Poet in Place for 2024-2025.
As a spoken word artist, Lishai has performed in over 300 venues across the
country. Her voice and poetry have also been featured in multiple campaigns
which were broadcasted nationally on MTV and Bell Media.
She was the co-founder of Ink Veins: Young Women’s Writing Collective and the
co-author of a graphic novel, Why Birds and Wolves Don’t Trade Stones, illustrated
by artist David Brame. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with dancers
and musicians through various projects. In 2014, she released an album entitled
From Here On, with her long-time collaborator, musician, and composer Waleed
Abdulhamid.
Mentorship plays a central role in Lishai’s artistic practice. Not only has she
mentored countless youth and emerging writers, she herself has also been
mentored by some of Canada’s greatest writers and performers. In her early days
as a performer, Lishai was mentored by Dwayne Morgan, d’bi young anitafrika,
Sheri-D Wilson, and Catherine Hernandez. Lishai’s creative nonfiction projects
have been supported by Alicia Elliott (through Room Magazine) and Ayelet
Tsabari (through the Writers’ Trust of Canada). Alessandra Naccarrato has acted
as a poetry editor and mentor. While completing a graduate certificate in creative
writing at Humber College, Karen Connelly was Lishai’s mentor and Kyo Maclear
was her thesis advisor during her MFA program.
Her writing has won awards with The Malahat Review, The Vancouver Writers Fest
and The Writers’ Trust of Canada. Her essays and poems have been published by
Book*hug Press, Room Magazine, Lilith Magazine, Hey Alma, Middleground
Magazine, Arc Poetry Magazine, The Malahat Review, Illanot Review and others.
Lishai has an MFA in creative writing from Guelph University and sits on the
Board of Directors for gritLIT, Hamilton’s literary festival. She currently works as
Co-Executive Director of Moms Together, a lobby group for Canadian moms.
Outside of her professional commitments and writing life, Lishai spends time
tending to her garden, going on ice climbing and hiking adventures, and
managing her energetic eight-year-old’s busy schedule. Lishai’s son would like the
City of Hamilton to know that he is committed in his role of Hamilton’s first
official poetry butler.