Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The Young Ones

Would you believe our slam has made the papers yet again? This time it's mentioned in a very nicely written piece about our young performance poets by Syarifah Syaliza Alia in the Youth section of today's Star.

Syar interviews Sharanya (photo left, by Leon Wing), as well as Project OMG's Pat Low and Priya K (below) and Nicholas Wong.

I love Priya's can-do attitude, which is really Project OMG's whole attitude:
Anyone can hold a reading, even if I don’t like to admit it ... You just need the commitment, how much you’re willing to put into it.
Just do it lah, don't wait for permission.

And here's a quotable quote from Nic:
I think young writers nowadays are quite self-absorbed in their art ... They see it (their poetry) as a means of expressing themselves primarily and not see it as a collective responsibility to speak for others, to others.
If young guys like these represent the future of poetry in this country, then let's just say, it's in excellent hands.

12 comments:

dreameridiot said...

Cheers! This just warm the cockles of my heart.

Anonymous said...

ha! we are still talking about it, even on the blog, even last night I happened to chat poesy with a beautiful stranger at a bar. She was glad that I was straight :-/

I'm a bit miffed every time someone writes about poetry they immediately put some distance to the word ala "that’s right, poetry. That flowery form of writing you never understood during English class is being taken to the stage." or variations thereof -- if that was an attempt to define poetry it was a counterproductive one.

No, it is not a flowery form of writing. It is the flower, the stalk, the leaf, the root of writing. Suck the sap and guzzle the thorns, it is the wine of words the bread of voice, poetry is a bleeding larynx and a blotto soul--not a flowery form of writing, dammit!

Yes! We should celebrate the growing garden in the backyard.

bibliobibuli said...

I happened to chat poesy with a beautiful stranger at a bar. She was glad that I was straight :-/
so that's what you get up to with your poetry, you smooth talker you (knowing how women are suckers for beautiful words)!

(i do hope you didn't read this - it might give you ideas)

Anonymous said...

MM, I'm glad you're straight too.

bibliobibuli said...

((:-@

Kenny Mah said...

O Pat!

bibliobibuli said...

this blog is not a dating agency

Chet said...

LOL!!!!

msiagirl said...

Yay! Enjoyed that post on poets getting laid haha, and comments :)

I just wanted to say since I've been going round the blogs and enjoying the writing coming out of Malaysia, it has really struck me how fearless, confident, and talented these young voices are. Have been going round being impressed for a while, and now have a chance to say so. Write On!

Anonymous said...

LOL!!

That why it's always useful to know lines like these:

There be none of Beauty's daughters
With a magic like thee;
And like music on the waters
Is thy sweet voice to me...


An old standby from who else but Byron of course ;-)

(Animah, I am very glad!)

bibliobibuli said...

how can any woman resist thee machinist!?

msiagirl - yes, very much agree. blogs are uncovering and giving rise too, some very good writing.

Anonymous said...

"Anyone can hold a reading, even if I don’t like to admit it ... You just need the commitment, how much you’re willing to put into it."

If only it was so easy. All the commitment in the world will not help if you're mute :D anyway yeah for people who aren't, it's just a question of how much time you have, whether you're willing to risk your RM8K/month 18-hour days.

Anyway the point is, people are busy making money. When the whole thing settles down and starts aging (look at most of the "developed" countries -- even in the major cities nothing has changed for decades) - there will be a large group of educated people with a lot of money and no jobs. This is where your talent pool will come from.

But right now, the money's still being made.