In the Vancouver spoken word scene, Johnny Trinh, Vancouver Poetry House artistic director, is well known for reminding poets and audiences that “it takes a community to raise an artist.” As a veteran of many poetry shows in Vancouver and throughout the country, I have had many opportunities to ruminate on the meaning of this phrase; in particular, its invocation of the collective as the inherent foundation by which a poet, or any type of artist, nurtures the sort of self and worldly awareness that makes artistry viable and valuable. I am also reminded of author and cultural critic bell hooks’ assertion: “I think that part of what a culture of domination has done is raise that romantic relationship up as the single most important bond, when of course the single most important bond is that of community.”