Shane Koyczan

Shane Koyczan is a Canadian spoken-word poet and author, celebrated for turning personal struggles with bullying, addiction, and identity into visceral, emotionally direct performance poetry. He rose to wider fame through slam poetry competitions and later through viral videos of pieces such as «To This Day», which he expanded into an animated short and a widely viewed TED talk addressing childhood bullying.

Much of his work blends spoken poetry with musical accompaniment, most notably through his collaborations with the band Short Story Long, which set his verses to folk-inflected instrumentation, giving tracks like «Beethoven» and «Troll» a hybrid quality between poem and song. His writing is known for its raw honesty and confessional tone, often mining childhood memory and vulnerability for material.

Koyczan has published multiple books of poetry and continues to tour internationally, delivering both performances and motivational talks. His work sits at the intersection of literary slam poetry and popular spoken-word music, reaching audiences well beyond traditional poetry circles.