Turn the spotlight on Svens N Telemaque
Growing up in Miami, Florida, in the 198Os, the broken home phenomenon, something that was beyond his control, unfortunately became Svens Télémaque’s reality.
So, following the divorce of his parents, a father now gone, and with limited supervision by a mother who was working 72-hour weeks, Svens, the teenager, was a prime candidate for recruitment by unsavory characters who ruled that section of Miami, which he describes as “Florida’s melting pot of drug trade, violence, and ignorance…”
At the time he was vulnerable, so he responded to the beckoning of the streets.
It was the environment in which he found his new (surrogate) family, and was nurtured in Miami’s drug culture and the hustling game, Svens’ new family reality, an all-too-familiar story of North American families, which continues to impact the lives of Black males in a tragic way.
Télémaque learned the game well; peddling the variety of illicit products available on Miami’s streets became his forté.
Reflecting on that period of his life, Svens says it also “inspired me to become an entrepreneur.”
But along with his ‘business’ acumen, he invariably had his share of interactions with the competition, as well as the police. In addition to being arrested several times he also came face-to-face with those requisite tools of (others who ply) the trade… but luck was always on his side, his catalyst for change.
But despite the conditions and circumstances of his street life, Svens always managed to find solace, time, and some might say serendipity, a way to separate himself from his street life and activities through writing… of his experiences… He calls this process his “tissue.”
Looking for a way out of Miami and a change in his life, Svens Télémaque returned to Montreal in 2007 where, among other things, he began to delve into his adolescent years and experiences… in Miami. He says it was a chance to restart his life, into “one worth living…and leaving the drug-infested, crime-ridden streets of Miami behind…”
Being back home in a more conducive environment also provided the inspiration and grist for writing his first book, Pen Of A Ready Writer: A Compilation of Poetry, Thoughts and Ideas, a nicely packaged collection of poetic food for thought.
He also views this first of many literary projects (he’s currently working on a novel) as a step in his life’s journey of “dedicating my life to becoming an agent of change, inspiration… to youth who might be tempted by the perceived excitement of the streets,” he says.
These days, Télémaque is very active, pursuing his entrepreneurial dream. He’s currently studying Human Relations part-time at Concordia University and does speaking engagements at various schools.
He has also been recognized with awards from Centre Jeunesse d’Emplois and Black Theater Workshop. He co-founded The Poet’s Tree, an organization that provides a platform for youth to give voice through the spoken word, and more… And his objective remains firm: inspire youth to commit themselves to achieving, despite adversity, one of his reasons for writing. And he hopes those he comes in contact with will be inspired by his spoken words…
“You can only duplicate what you see…”
Seeing negatives was his reason for getting involved with the street life and drugs. Through his interactions with youth, Svens Télémaque hopes his words will make a difference in their lives going forward.
To get a copy of Pen Of A Ready Writer: A Compilation of Poetry, Thoughts and Ideas, visit www.SvensTélémaque.com, f SvensTelemaque, or call 514-713-2780.
