Canadian poet Shane Koyczan, best known for his spoken word performance at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, has scored a viral hit with his anti-bullying video, Pork Chop.
An animated, poetic take on bullying and how it affects the lives of children and adults, the seven and a half minute video posted on February 19 has already received more 1.1 million hits and thousands of comments. It is part of the anti-bullying campaigner’s To This Day Project.
It’s also gotten the attention of sex advice columnist Dan Savage, who tweeted Koyczan that the video had him in tears.
@fakedansavage @advodude @upworthy so humbled by your kindness. Please send me the bill for your salad. I’ll cover it.
— Shane Koyczan (@Koyczan) February 21, 2013
Born in the Northwest Territories and raised in British Columbia, Koyczan has published two books, a poetry collection titled Visiting Hours, and Stickboy, a novel in verse. Visiting Hours was selected by both the UK’s Guardian and Canada’s Globe and Mail for their Best Books of 2005 lists.