SHAKTI
Faith Shakti Heyliger is a metaphysical Harlem-born performing poet with a voice, present, alert, awake to the fire that burns deep within: Her presence is a force of nature—her speech, a constant dawn.
She discovered a fervent love for reading and writing as a young girl: a passion which blossomed over the years from an impulse and necessity to a life long practice and pursuit. Born into the sacred gifts of meditation, mindfulness, chanting, movement, and the arts, Faith uses words to actively engages body, mind, and spirit.
A graduate from NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Faith revels in the Self and Shadow Work. Her poetry seeks the divine in her earthliness, embracing the duality inherent to our humanity— her poetry urges us to come alive.
In 2015, Faith co-wrote a show titled 'Root of Water' performed 9 months later at the Alchemical Theater in New York City. Her poetry has been published in online publications (Blackmail Reader, Digging Through the Fat, WNYC), and a print literary magazine tNY (a.k.a. the Newer York). She has performed on a variety of stages throughout New York (Le Poisson Rouge, Joe's Pub, Peridance, to name a few) and on the radio (The Lot Radio & WIOX). From 2016 to 2019, Faith was a Full-Time Artist-in-Residence at the Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock, New York.
On August 20th 2020, Faith successfully completed a fundraising campaign to self-publish her first book The Love Letter, a visual poem illustrated by artist Rasa Vaišvilaitė now available.
This New York City native now resides in Upstate NY with her husband Zak, her daughter Nimue, and her dog Leeloo. Currently, she is mostly occupied with caring for her toddler and her soon-to-be son, but she is also working on two novels, a series of children's books, a tarot collection, and another poetry book.
Photography by Brian Thomas
