WOK to hold events on spoken word poetry, creative writing
KUCHING: The Wordsmiths of Kuching ( WoK) will be holding a series of events on Oct 21 and 22 for those interested in the realm of spoken word poetry and creative writing, as part of What About Kuching ( WAK) 2017.
On the morning of Oct 21, there will be a workshop entitled ‘Write yourself into a Poem’ with Kuala Lumpur-based spoken word poet, journalist and poetry educator Melizarani T Selva.
Having represented Malaysia in the International Literature Showcase in Norwich, she has also performed in six countries with notable performances at TEDxGateway in Mumbai and Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. Her first book titled ‘ Taboo’ ( 2015) made it to the Top 10 Best- Seller List on Malaysia’s No.1 Online Bookstore ( MPH).
This three-hour performance poetry workshop, to be held at Indah House Kuching, will focus on the self, identity and our place in this world.
Tickets are on sale now at RM95 per participant. For more information, visit http:// wokwakmts.peatix.com.
On the evening of the same day, Melizarani will be the featured performer in Kuching’s only spoken word event Word of Mouth KCH (WoM), together with poetry, spoken word and storytelling performances from Wordsmiths of Kuching.
This special edition of WoM is held in collaboration with the Malaysian Writers Festival 2017 ( MYWritersFest17), a nationwide one month-long festival in October organised by Malaysian Writers Society ( MYWriters).
MYWritersFest17 is in its third year, operating within a ‘By Malaysians, For Malaysians’ concept where they feature local writers as authors and trainers, and provide content in a local context.
Their events include a Mass Book Launch, author Meet & Greet, and Professional Development Sessions ( Workshops and Talks) at various locations in Malaysia.
The Meet & Greet session will be part of WoM on Oct 21. MyWritersFest authors will be doing readings from their books as part of the evening show. Books and merchandise from both MYWriters and WoK will be on sale. The public are most welcome to come meet these writers and performers.
On Oct 22, two talks will be held at The Museum Cafe and Shop starting at 2pm.
Author Anna Tan will be talking about independent publishing and whether or not it is the right direction for you, while spoken word poet Jamal Raslan will talk about the distinction between poetry written for the page and the stage.
Tan is from Penang and is the current treasurer of MYWriters.
Her short stories have been included in Cyberpunk: Malaysia ( Fixi Novo, 2015) and Insignia Volume 4: Asian Fantasy Stories ( BWWP Publishing, 2017), whilst When Winds Blow Cold and The Flame of the North are available as singles online. Her fairy tales, Coexist and Dongeng, are available at online retailers such as Smashwords and Amazon.
She is also the editor of Love in Penang ( Fixi Novo, 2013) and NutMag, an annual zine published for and by MYWriters Penang.
Jamal has been doing spoken word in the KL contemporary poetry scene since winning his maiden slam back in 2010.
Since then he has been regularly involved in the scene - performing, hosting and helping organise gigs around KL. He conducts workshops at schools, universities, colleges and the public.
Jamal is also a freelance copywriter and voice- over talent, his work finding a home in the commercial space for clients such as MILO, Hotlink, DiGi and BSN. A two-time TEDxKL speaker and a MOCA artist with the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), Jamal strongly believes that the word is alive and all we need to do is listen.
WoK is a group of storytellers, performance poets, and spoken word artists who are interested in bringing their page to the stage. Established in 2014, they hold regular in-house events - First Reading and Word of Mouth KCH.
They can be found on Facebook at fb.com/ wordsmithsofkuching or reached at wordsmithsofkuching@ gmail. com.
WAK 2017 celebrates the arts, culture and lifestyles of the people of Kuching by creating a platform to share the abundant talent here and throughout Sarawak.
The month-long event, from Sept 30 to Oct 29, will encompass every genre from visual to performing arts, traditional to contemporary arts, and from static exhibitions to active outdoor pursuits.
To date, over 50 components have already been committed by various groups, with more to come. Want to join the party? Send in your proposals to info@ aboutkuching.com.
Know someone who fits into what WAK 2017 is trying to achieve? Get in touch at info@ aboutkuching. com. If possible, include contact information for the person or group that you are suggesting.
For updates, like WAK 2017 on Facebook at http://www.fb.com/ aboutkuching or follow them on Instagram at @ aboutkuching. Check out the hashtags #WAK2017 and # aboutkuching. Their website is aboutkuching.com.