SHAKTI
Faith Shakti Heyliger is a metaphysical Harlem-born performing poet with a voice, present, alert, and 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, dancing, and all 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 available for pre-order this November. She is also working on her first poetry collection, two novels, a series of children's books, and a tarot collection.
After 30 years on the East coast, this New York City native moved December of 2019 to Arizona with her husband Zak and her dog Leeloo. On August 20th, 2021, she gave birth to her first chid Nimue Reign Heyliger Cedarholm. Currently, she is mostly occupied with caring for her newborn, but she is also working on two novels, a series of children's books, a tarot collection, and another book of poetry.
Photography by Brian Thomas
