Cyndi Marshall

Cyndi Celeste is a spoken word poet and creative entrepreneur based in Barbados. They are an arts activist whose work seeks to educate as well as entertain, exploring race, gender, cultural identity, and environmentalism. Inspired by Adrian Green, DJ Simmons, and the late Edward Kamau Brathwaite, they aim to engage their audiences in introspection, progressive thought, and social discourse.
Cyndi holds an honours degree in Linguistics and Communication Studies from UWI Cave Hill, and has represented their country in South Africa, the UK, and the USA. Their accolades include a NIFCA Bronze award, second place in the inaugural Black British Writers’ International Poetry competition, and a world #21 ranking in the Women of the World Poetry Slam. Their work is published in The Caribbean Writer, and their EP “Cyndicated” is available online.
Offstage, Cyndi has contributed to several outreach and community development projects. They have co-produced community open mics for young poets, delivered gender-based violence advocacy workshops in Barbados secondary schools, and co-ordinated the Writer’s Clinic community writing workshops.
Their most notable performances to date include poetic narration for the Decommissioning of Lord Horatio Nelson’s Statue, and their iconic “We Ain’ Done” performance to herald Barbados’ transition to republic status.