Polarbear Performance

I like the idea that, I’m here now, (and) you’re there; boom, I perform, (and) it’s gone. ... I think I’m a bit of a nerd, I like the excitement of (something being) momentary, and only available at that time.

Performance poet Steven Camden aka Polarbear is interviewed in The Star today following his performance at Wayang Kata VII, organised by The British Council.

Poetic Passions

Ahnaf in today's Starmag does a very good job of providing an overview of what's happening on the live literary scene in KL. Noting that:

Over the past two years, the idea of poets performing their work rather than just writing for themselves or simply reading it aloud has become increasingly popular ...

he interviews local performance poets Priya Kulasegaran and George Wielgus (left - and soon to appear at Readings@Seksan) as well as Bernice Chauly and Chris Mooney-Singh of WordForward who is bringing Poetry Slam to KL.

Priya talks about how audiences for Project OMG have been steadily growing through word of mouth and I think she's right when she says:

Younger people like us are getting involved ... After being fed the kind of music you’re supposed to listen to, and the kind of movies you’re supposed to watch, there’s a kind of reaction.

I'm glad that the piece also highlights the contribution of the British Council and the Wayang Kata events and workshops it organises and also the wonderful irony that the organisation that has done most to encourage a local literary scene is a foreign one.

Bernice Chauly talks about how live literature events have helped to create a much-needed sense of community among local writers, and also how our Malaysian authors doing so well on the world stage, have really done a lot to encourage local writers as well. Bernice says that when Tash Aw won the Whitbread first novel award in 2005:

It was like, ‘Oh wow, Malaysians? Writers? Really? So good, ah? Wow.’

Yeah, that good. Believe it!

Note: Links to the organisers of spoken words events are listed in a side-bar. The email given to contact me about Readings is wrong - please use sharonbakar@yahoo.com if you want to get in touch.

Live Lit KL - Looking Back, Looking Forward

This has been a year when live literature in KL has gone from strength to strength, and in a way we could not have imagined I think, a year of two back. What follows is an overview of what's happened, and then, if you have the patience to read to the end, I want to solicit your opinions about the direction we're headed in.

The British Council have continued to be major movers and shakers of the local literary scene bringing poets (This year Benjamin Zephaniah, Charlie Dark and Jacob Sam-La Rose) out from the UK to perform and run workshops. There was even publication Well Versed containing the work of some of our fledgling performance poets, and Jasmine Low and Jerome Kugan have worked with British Council to organize entertaining evenings of performance poetry and music under the banner Wayang Kata.

There were signs of our own poets "coming of age". Sharanya was brave enough to put on a one woman show before she had to leave for India, and was invited to the Singapore Writers Festival to give a solo reading. Priya, Liyana and Divya appeared with Charlie Dark at the same festival, and the poet said some very complimentary things about the local pool of talent.

Project OMG proved a great forum for young writers, Klue Magazine continued to run their Words and Tunes event this time in conjunction with MPH bookstores.

I have thoroughly enjoyed organising Readings@Seksan's, which as you know, I took over from Bernice Chauly. It has been a challenge to seek out (bully and cajole!) interesting folks into putting their words out before an audience. Where these readings have, I hope, differentiated themselves from the other live-lit events happening in the Klang Valley is in providing more of a forum for prose writing (fiction and non-fiction) along with poetry. I've also aimed for as diverse a collection of readers on any of those Saturday afternoons as possible ... though I don't think that I've done a good enough job tapping into the Malay writing scene, and this bothers me because I'd like to see writers coming together and sharing whatever their language of choice.

Our international "special" at Central Market was for me one of the highpoints of the year, and again, I have to thank British Council for that.

Bernice adopted a second baby this year, in the form of Readings@No Black Tie, held on the first Sunday night of the month, a more "upmarket" version of the Seksan readings held in a more nightclubby setting with some excellent talent on hand to entertain.

Maskara, the monthly readings event focusing on writing in Malay was started by Vovin and friends, and run along similar lines to the Seksan events at Rumah Pena.

All these events look set to continue running and building on their success in 2008, and lets add one more really great thing on top of them.

Some of you will remember our Cross-Causway Poetry Slam, held earlier this year at Seksan. Well, Chris Mooney-Singh and his wife Savinder who run WordForward in Singapore, will be bringing poetry slams to KL on a regular basis, starting we hope in February. We also hope that there will be a lot of spin-off events such as themed slams and workshops radiating out from this.

Now then, my first (multi-part!) question to you - are we in danger of having too much going on in the city, and how do we ensure that events don't clash or crowd so tightly together on the calendar that we steal each others audiences or cause our fans to overdose on spoken word? Or are the audiences totally different for each event so that the question is academic?

This question bothers Bernice and I a lot, and we decided that we would organise only one Readings event each month, alternating between Seksan and No Black Tie. (So Readings@Seksans will be bi-monthly in 2008 rather than monthly as it has been this year.)

This gives me a little more breathing space and also gives me time to plan for some alternative kinds of literary happenings. (News of one to be posted very soon!)

My second question (equally multi-part!) is which live lit events have you attended this year and which did you like best? How could the organisers (inc. me!) do what we do better? (Please do be honest.) What would you like to see happen in 2008?

What I have found particularly heartening this year is the way that the organisers of these events have networked with each other, and the way audiences (without which nothing at all would happen!) have supported live lit events and made them viable.

Charlie Dark, Blacktronica and Wayang Kata V

From British Council:

In the last episode of Wayang Kata, three poets won their way to the Singapore Writer’s Festival. This fifth installment of the spoken word series welcomes them back on stage along with Charlie Dark and poets from Singapore!

Music producer, club DJ and, yes, poet Charlie Dark is the latest in a line of British talents to come our way. Despite over fourteen years behind the decks, Charlie’s first love was the spoken word. He was one of the individuals responsible for starting the famous Speaker’s Corner jams and he continues to wow audiences with his apt observations and insights whenever he steps up to the microphone. With his flamboyant gestures and vocal gymnastics, Dark has made a dynamic impact on the UK poetry and performance scene.

Before we bring on the poets, though, KL goes dark with Charlie and Blacktronica, a revolution in music and UK club culture. Featuring live performances, DJs, spoken word and more, this is not your average club night!
Image copyright British Council

Date Saturday, 8 December 2007
Venue Heritage Mansion @ Heritage Avenue, Jalan Kamunting, Kuala Lumpur (Map)
Time 9.00 p.m. till late
Admission Free. Entrance only for 21 years and above only.

Wayang Kata V

Date Sunday, 9 December 2007
Venue No Black Tie, 17 Jalan Mesui off Jalan Nagasari, Kuala Lumpur
Time 8.30 p.m.
Admission RM10 at the door

Hosted by the dynamic duo Jerome Kugan and Jasmine Low (also known as Troubagangers), this is a night not to be missed. Find out more about Charlie and the poets joining him on stage for Wayang Kata V here.

Charlie will also conduct workshops with local poets and teachers (sorry, by invitation only).

For more information, email us at arts@britishcouncil.org.my

Charlie Dark on My Space.
More about Blacktronica here.
And here's a little taste of Charlie strutting his stuff for Life Lines for Oxfam :



I am sad I will be missing this as I am going to be down in Singapore for the Writer's Festival. But hope you guys go and have a good time!

Sunday Literary Fix from the Star

Also in Starmag today - a feature by Tan Karr Wei about the winners of the Apostrophe sixteen word short story competition and their Bali trip. (A shame there isn't a bit more about the actual festival apart from a passing mention. This is one of the major literary events in the region, and the Malaysian authors who attended did the country proud!)

The battle of the performing poets at Wayang Kata IV is featured in a very entertaining piece by Daphne Lee.

I do like her little diversion about the Sylvia Plath film where a poetry recital leads to some passionate table-top sex! Rest assured though, nothing happened like that the other night. You'd have to go to the Ubud Writers' Festival to find that!

(Divya, the one poet I didn't manage to get a photo of the other night, is pictured here, right. And of course, that's Priya K. to her left.)

The education section of the Star has a very nice article by Sarah Chew about some of the excellent initiatives in Malaysian schools to encourage kids to get their hands on books.

I was really pleased too, to read about how some schools are encouraging parents to get in on the act. The student-teachers I was working with earlier this year had seen parents helping in UK schools and knew what a big difference such involvement can make. And now it seems that the idea is percolating into Malaysian classrooms. Great!

Malaysian Poetry Idol

Some pictures from last night's poetry extravaganza at Wayang Kata IV at No Black Tie.

As usual the event was entertainingly compared by Jerome Kugan and Jasmine Low doing their famous double act.

Jerome also rolled up his sleeves and sang for us:

Jasmine read some of her poetry, and Shahrul Nizam read some pieces from his new collection If Only. (And was a lot less shy reading than I thought he'd be!)

Then the six poets competing for three places to go to the Singapore Writers' Festival in December:

Priya K.

Liyana Yusof

Bathsheba Zlikha Arsalan

Datuk Shan

Patricia Low

And ... oh my goodness, realised that I didn't get a photo of Divya KM Jiwa! My biggest apologies.

Members of the audience got to vote for their favourite. Daphne Lee, Pang Khee Teik, and I were the judges and we looked for those whose words had touched us most deeply. The standard overall was high (and I'm so happy to see how far these guys have come on, performing their work). A special commendation to Shan for making us laugh and Zlikha for her dazzling showmanship which involved several changes of clothing.

When the votes and our marks were tallied, the winners were Priya, Liyana and Divya. Well done, guys.

I missed some of the later stuff as I was hiding from all the cigarette smoke which was bringing back the hacking cough I thought I'd got rid of. But who was the woman with the truly astonishing singing voice? I want to buy her album! And who was the hip-hop poet? I want him for my readings later on!

Malaysian Writing for Lion City

Here's a nudge or two about good things coming your way ... and coincidentally both initiatives are aimed at promoting Malaysian writing in Singapore.

Don't forget Wayang Kata IV at No Black Tie tonight. You get to choose the poets who represent Malaysia at the Singapore Writers' festival in December. Here's the poster below. Click to enlarge.

And if any of you are heading south of the border this weekend you might like to catch the launch party for four Malaysian authors Kam Raslan, Dina Zaman, Amir Muhamad and Shahril Nizam at the Substation. It promises to be a very exciting event and I wish I could be there.

Wayang Kata IV ... and the Road to Singapore

And talking about poetry in performance, a quick plug for an exciting event that's coming up soon. This from the British Council's website:

WAYANG KATA IV: AN EVENING OF SPOKEN WORD

Getting it across!

Some say good things come in three’s but we beg to differ! Presenting the fourth edition of Wayang Kata – harder, better, faster, stronger!

Wayang Kata IV will feature an all-Malaysian line-up of poets that have attended our poetry workshops but here’s the twist: we’re going to have these wordsmiths battling it out for an opportunity to attend and perform at the Singapore Writers Festival in December.

The poets will be assessed by a panel of guest judges but ultimately the audience gets to sway the final decision! If you’re thinking Poetry Idol, you’re getting warm…

Back as emcees are Jerome Kugan and Jasmine Low also known as Troubagangers, our Wayang Kata co-presentors. The evening will also include special performances by our hosts, guest judges and new talent as well. Watch this space for updates and details.

Check out the competitors, note the dates and see you there!
Date Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Venue No Black Tie, 17 Jalan Mesui off Jalan Nagasari, KL
Time 8.30 p.m.
Admission RM10 at the door

For more information, email us at arts@britishcouncil.org.my

Well, there's nothing like a little competition to motivate folks to do their best, and judging by the list of poets who are up for it, it's going to be a tough contest!

This is what we know so far about the Singapore Writers' Festival:

In 2007, the nine-day festival will feature over 100 exciting programmes including film screenings (of literary adaptations), a book exhibition, panel discussions, literary tours and lunches, literary-related music performances and of course talks, book signings and readings by prominent writers.

The festival will be presenting, for the first time, a professional symposium, specifically focusing on the literary publishing industry. Industry experts from all over the world will be invited to give talks and take part in panel discussions. These sessions will also be opportunities for industry networking and information sharing among the key players in the literary ecosystem.

To generate buzz for the festival in December and to nurture a sustained interest in the literary arts, there will be monthly literary events leading up to the festival from February to October 2007.

The literary ecosystem? Either someone's been reading my blog or they're just as brilliant as I am. Publishing is an ecosystem, in which all parts must be healthy and in balance.

I know where I'm going to be in December!

Very Well Versed

Had a lovely surprise waiting for me when I got home today, a package of good things from Sunitha of British Council. (Many thanks!) First a copy of New Writing 15 edited by Bernadine Evaristo and Maggie Gee with plenty of good stuff inside - poetry and prose from exciting writers around the globe. (You can read about it and even read some of the pieces here.)

And then I found in the envelope something that I thought even better - three copies of a collection called Wellversed which pulls together the poetry of the writers who worked with the British Council as part of their programme to bring performance poetry to KL and/or performed at the Wayang Kata performances at La Bodega and No Black Tie.

Is Kuala Lumpur turning into some kind of poetry hot spot?

asks the intro to the collection.

Well if it is, the largest share of praise must surely go to British Council for making something really great happen here. For being the catalyst that has got so much else moving.

Namaya at No Black Tie

Hot news via the British Council!

We are delighted to announce that No Black Tie, the venue of our popular Wayang Kata series, has now started hosting regular spoken word events. They launched their first monthly event on the 1st of April, and are following up with another one this Saturday 21st, with a poet introduced to them by our soulful UK poet Malika Booker!

We’re so pleased, we have to pass on the good news.

April 21 ~ Saturday NAMAYA LIVE!

Namaya is an internationally renowned high wire performance artist of the spoken word. NAMAYA LIVE! is a fun, energetic fusion of spoken word, music, stories, & multimedia. He has performed on European tours which have included Denmark, England (with a show at the celebrated "Apples & Snakes" in London) & Holland. In 2006 he performed in New York at the Bowery, throughout the US, Ireland, Japan, and an extended tour in New Zealand . With his virtual electronic band the Jazz Beat Experience he weaves a magical spell of jazz, blues, and an astonishing flight of words.

"...hip, sexy, irreverent, and very political."

Equally engaging is Namaya's ability to spontaneously create poems and stories drawn from the suggestions of the audience; one performance in Amsterdam had the crowd cheering for more poems of, "Flying pigs, greasy chicken thighs, quantum physics and true love." Visit www.vermontpoet.com and http://www.jazzbeatblues.com to sample poems, audio clips, and a small video of a recent live show. The Nuyorican Café in NYC said, "Great show!"

"Brilliant!" exclaimed Apples and Snakes in London

"Encore!" said The Winston in Amsterdam

Performance starts at 10pm. Entrance: rm40

For reservation please call 21423737 or email noblacktie@gmail.com

No Black Tie

17 Jalan Mesui

KL 50200