WILL HARRIS & NAYOMI APSARA: TEA AND POETRY
Two poets, Londonbased writer Will Harris and Sri Lankan film maker and poet Nayomi Apsara, performed several of their works at a poetry and tea event hosted at the Doonberg.
Will Harris, who was shortlisted for the T.S Eliot Prize and won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, is the author of poetry books RENDANG and most recently, Brother Poem. He started off the evening with a poem from his book Rendang which came out in 2020, amidst the pandemic. “I was able to travel a lot because of this book,” he says, “unfortunately, it was through a Zoom screen! So I’m excited to actually travel to another country to talk about this book.” Harris follows up with a poem from Brother Poem, a collection of poems he wrote as an only child, to an imaginary brother and wraps up with a teaser to one of his most recent, unpublished works – a commissioned poem titled ‘Speaky Stonehenge’.
Nayomi Apsara, having worked in the corporate sector for over 15 years decided to quit the 9-5 life and venture into the creative field. She made her entry into the literary world with her debut poetry collection ‘Throw Me Mountains’ – a collection of poems she has written for years, hidden away in a private blog until she was encouraged by friends and family to publish them. Her reading presented a variety of poems that drew from a personal note, touching on topics of love, loss and self-actualization. “My poems come to me when I want to get something off my chest” she shares, adding that she rarely shares the personal stories behind her work, preferring instead to hear what the reader makes of it.
Set in the stunning backdrop of the lush gardens of Doonberg, a Dutch colonial bungalow built in 1712, festival goers were treated to a tranquil evening of gently read poetry and engaging conversation on verse and prose while sipping on Ceylon tea and decadent cakes. Here’s what a few had to say:
“The event was fascinating, the location tied up beautifully with
Will and Nayomi’s readings. It was the first time I have ever read Will’s work and I was very engaged with it. This was the best event for us today” RUSHI
“The set up was beautiful, it set the mood. Will’s work is amazing, I just got his book and I really liked his work.” DEVI
“I love the setting here; it really complemented the poems because poetry is creative and this environment lends itself to poetry. Both poets were very interesting. Will’s use of words and his attention to detail in his work is very interesting”
NIRMA
“I thought the session was great! The poetry in this setting was just serene. I’m on holiday in Sri Lanka and just happened to be in Galle so I’m glad I caught this!” CLAIRE