Saul Williams
Newburgh, NY 
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Saul Williams is an influential writer, actor, emcee, and musician known for his thought-provoking blend of poetry and hip-hop. The energy from his rhythmic and frenzied spoken word is infectious and his raw emotion is evident in his song "List of Demands (Reparations)," recently featured in a 2008 Nike commercial. Williams is also the author of The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop, Said the Shotgun to the Head and others. Saul's presence at Bumbershoot includes both a performance with his band (Saturday) and a solo spoken word set (Sunday).
Canary Sing
Seattle, WA visit website
Canary Sing is Lioness (Madeleine Clifford) and Ispire (Hollis Wong-Wear). They are both college students in Seattle who organize and mentor for Youth Speaks Seattle, where they met in 2006. Lioness and Ispire fuse social urgency, West Coast swagger and their biracial beings to produce a passionate and articulate spoken word.