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It's a Thursday night at Gaslight Cafe in Kuala Lumpur, and the place is jam-packed. Noisy chatter is in the air: drinks are ordered from the bar and the usual catch – up takes place. But the place turns quickly quiet, because all the attention is drawn to the back of the room, where the poets get up to talk
It's a regular scene at If Walls Could Talk a monthly word and an open micro poetry event that has been strong since 2015. (The main image above is from the judgment panel at Youth Poetry Slam 2018 , organized by Poetry Club KL.) Photo: MIKO NGO)
to the crowd of 100, however, it should really be called Wall To Wall . There are 13 poets on the bill, with legendary sorcerer Ben Joned Hallh as head of the bill.
The announcer announces that Salleh can not play tonight because of an injury caused by a fall. And while the crowd is slightly disappointed, she is still thirsty for poetry. They applaud enthusiastically when the first poet mounts the microphone, and welcome his sincere recitation. When she's finished, the applause is loud and warm.
Such a reception for poetry would have been difficult to imagine five years ago.
"I honestly think it's because there is a greater demand for poetry. People are continually looking for safe spaces to tell their stories and I think now they are starting to realize that poetry events are not only at hand but also simple to start, "says Melizarani T Selva, 27 years old.
Humble Beginnings
Poets and musicians performing at Bakar Purgatory, an experimental poetry and presentation of music at Gaslight Cafe in July 2018. Photo : IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star
In the Klang Valley, there are at least four poetry events that take place each month and are open to the public
. Raslan, the poetry events may well be happening now, but Malaysia still has no "poetry scene".
An industry or market of sustainable poetry is needed to go forward
"We have a community of poetry. These communities are driving these events, and the precursor to any kind of industry or sub-economy is always the community. Because you have a group of people coming together, staying together nearby, all passionate about the same thing, "says Jamal, 37.
Jamal is a well-known figure in the local poetry community that has won several poetry tournaments. Kuala Lumpur, and presented at TEDxKL 2011 and 2012. He recently played at the Reader's Choice Awards The Popular The Star as part of Flip The Skrip, a group of young poets Malaysian.
According to Jamal, poetry events might well be happening right now, but Malaysia still does not have what it calls a "poetry scene". Photo: provided by the interviewee
Jamal adds that the scene of poetry in this country is divided in two: the mainstream and the contemporary.
The mainstream, he explains, tends to be slightly older and this community writes poetry. mainly for the page. Their verse tends to use conventional poetic devices and their events are usually in the style of poetry readings.
The contemporary movement, on the other hand, is driven by a younger crowd, who write their poetry for the purpose of performing it.
Their events feature poets on stage, with a style of performance and delivery as important as the words chosen. This includes poetic slams and open mics on poetry.
While there has been some effort to bring these two groups closer together, Jamal believes that there is still much to be done
"The best way to achieve this is to l". Intercultural integration We need poets who are able to live and breathe and speak in both spaces, through languages, poets who appeal to both sides, "says Jamal, can choose their events: If the walls could speak, Jack It, Malam Sayu Berpuisi, Bakar Purgatory, KL Poetry Share and more, each event has its own style and format, with different types of performances.
Ce It was not always the case.When Melizarani and Beale began to occur, they often had to share their space during an evening of open music.And whenever a poet was performing, they had to first explain what "the word" was. [19659002] Today, fortunately, many people are much more familiar with this form of art.
"Poetry is actually the same form of expression as dance, drama, and so on, but I guess poetry has become a more personal thing for people. are written only in newspapers but never shared with friends or family members. "And when poets share what they wrote, no one judges, they listen and understand," says 20-year-old Veshalini Naidu , poet / actress, who helps to organize the monthly Malam Sayu Berpuisi in Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center
The public listens attentively to a poet from Malam Sayu Berpuisi outdoor poetry event at KLPac last month (June 2018) Photo: KLPac
"The scene has exploded in the past two or three years in terms of events and, subsequently, of poets who regularly perform ", says Elaine Foster, 40, a British and Malaysian poet, founder of the Poetry Club Kuala Lumpur. PCKL), which is spearheading poetry and advocates education in poetry.
PCKL organizes the annual Slam of Youth Poetry, now in its fourth edition. In April, more than 45 students from more than 10 schools in the Klang Valley took part in the event. Poetry slams are spoken word contests. The winners are decided by a jury, often chosen among the spectators.
"I think it's always been possible to find a poet who was reading poetry somewhere in the country.It's just that poetry events are very popular now, fashionable even , and there are many people who want to read their stuff at these events.
"It's definitely the perfect time for an emerging poet to find a captive audience" share Foster, who also presented a program radio station in 12 parts on poetry called Speak Easy on BFM
She adds that the spoken word artist Sheena Baharudin will take over Speak Easy her second season in August .
This year, in 2018, the first-ever National Slam Poery Slam will be held at the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) in November, 2010. Twelve Malaysian poets are among the most famous of them. will face to become the champion of the national slam [19659002] "I think it's time to have a national poetry slam because the country is ready for that. The scene of words spoken at KL has grown enormously over the last three years and there is a real need and a real desire, especially for young people, to express themselves through this form, "says Bernice Chauly, 50 years old, director of the GTLF
Malaysia has had a slam champion, someone to represent us on the world stage, and I hope we will find this person in this process. It's very exciting and I hope that Malaysians will take up this challenge. "
Poetry on Page
" Poetry is a lonely activity, so I do not think there was, or that there is, a community of poets in this country, "says Rajendra Photo: Filepic
The poetry books, on the other hand, have a profile a little lower than the spoken poems Penang author and poet Cecil Rajendra, 77, states that the number of poetry lovers has always been minimal.
"Having published some 25 books in more than 60 countries, I think I can say that There has never been a big market for poetry. This is not because there are many more people who write and publish these products today than there is a kind of market, "Rajendra explains in an e-mail
"Poetry is a lonely activity, I do not think there was, or there is, a community of poets in this country." Of course, there is much more poetry recitals, workshops, seminars, performances as before, but let us not fool ourselves; at best, the practice of poetry is a marginal activity.
Poet and lawyer, Rajendra's poetry earned him the first-ever Malaysian Humanitarian Award and a nomination for the Nobel Prize for Literature (both in 2005). His latest collection, Extremists And Other Deviants was published earlier this year (2018).
After 60 years of writing, Rajendra says that Malaysia has not yet produced poets of substance and size like Datuk Usman Awang. (1929-2001), who wrote in Malay language, or pioneering writer of Malaysian origin Ee Tiang Hong (1933-1990), who wrote in English while living in Australia.
"With the advent of the smartphone, almost everyone can try to write a poem.You do not need pen and paper anymore." impression being minimal these days, anyone who can rhyme "bee" with "see" can be a self-published poet, "he explains.
" Therefore, there are dozens of poetry books on This poetry market is more popular than it has ever been, but I doubt that anyone other than the budding poet, his mother and his love are reading these volumes! "
While Rajendra has a rather austere view of the local scene of poetry, some poets have managed to flourish. Some do so through social media, following in the footsteps of international names such as Rupi Kaur, Lang Leav, and Warsan Shire – "Instapoets" that command a large number of people on social networks such as Instagram.
Charissa Ong, a 26-year-old local author, started publishing poetry on Instagram. After attracting an audience, she decided to publish a book. After being rejected by traditional publishers, Ong launched its own publishing house, Penwings Publishing.
The first autoproduced book of Ong, Midnight Monologues received the 2016 Best Book of MPH. list this year. His follow-up, Daylight Dialogues, was published earlier this month (July 2018). How did Ong beat the system? She says that you have to be familiar with other aspects of publishing, not just writing.
"If you only focus on writing, it may not be enough – you need a market analysis to know who you are writing for." Whatever you do , a lot of market research needs to be done.Give your audience what they want.But of course, do not get lost in the process, "she says.
Although traditionalists do not do not always consider the poetry of social media with approval, Ong argues that it is a question of perception.
subjective The world is changing so fast – it depends on the mentalities of people, what you consider as "legitimate People will always have things to say, but you must do what you think is right and be the master, "she says
The Way Forward
Tan is part of Kuching's Wordsmiths, a coll Dedicated core office that organizes poetry events in Kuching. Photo: LANCE VUN
While poetry is actually read throughout Malaysia, most poets agree that it is mostly in urban areas, especially KL
. And that influences their way of life, "says Jamal.
" They may not have a lot of disposable income, and all they have, is mainly for entertainment. And poetry is not perceived as a "fun" thing.
Georgette Tan, 40, poet of Kuching, says lack of participation is a problem in her hometown
"In my opinion, there is much more budding. the poets of the Klang Valley, there are many more shows of varying quality, and there are many more people working seriously in the scene. Klang Valley has clicks. Kuching does not do it, but we examine it, "she says.
Tan is part of Wordsmiths of Kuching (WoK), which organizes two regular events. First Reading is a place where poets can read new works and receive commentary, while Word of Mouth Kuching is a show where artists read for an audience.
"In Kuching, there is only WoK. We hold shows once every two months because we do not have enough people to fill the line-up. The alternative months where we do not have shows, we hold the first reading. From time to time, other events open a slot or two for poets, but there is no "scene". Word of Mouth Kuching is still the only word show in town. We explain it without knowing how it is supposed to work.
Archiving and documentation of the scene are also a problem
"I can tell you that we had a total of 350 poets who played at Walls but he did not There is virtually no trace of their work online or offline. "We need online literary journals, podcasts, YouTube channels devoted to documenting the contemporary scene of Malaysian poetry and works that are there. are created "
While opinions on the state of poetry in Malaysia may differ, everyone can probably agree that poetry should be encouraged.So, for the future?
"For starters, they could reintroduce the appreciation of poetry in schools. Until literature receives the same weight and importance as science and mathematics, poetry will remain a marginal activity, "says Rajendra
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