You would think that at a Poetry Slam on the theme ‘gender discrimination’, it would be women talking about women’s issues. But an event on Saturday, ahead of World Poetry Day on March 21, will see a number of men take the stage. For those unsure of what a poetry slam is (because it has been a couple of years since Chennai saw one), it’s a competition where amateur poets get together to read aloud original pieces of work. The performances are usually judged by selected members of the audience or by a panel of judges. The highest score is 30 and the lowest is a zero.
With about 30 poets expected, the event will be held at a popular theatre group Stray Factory’s studio in Alwarthirunagar, where each participant will get about five minutes to recite their poem. And to up the performance element, a spokesperson from Prajnya Trust, which is organising the evening, said recitals will be showcased in a ‘spoken word’ format, where apart from reading poetry, folks can also include musical elements like hip hop or throw in a joke for comic relief. For a taste of what to expect at the event, City Express caught up with four men poets who recall the incidents that inspired some of the poems, which would be read at the event:
The event will be from 5pm-7pm. Each poet has five minutes to perform. Contact 42146639 for more details.
Ishvar Krishnan, video editor & poet
About a year ago, I decided I wanted to understand the meaning of feminism. So I did some research, spoke to friends and tried to understand the issues women face. And then I realised that there was actually quite a bit of ‘female chauvinism’ going around. That won’t help with equality. But here’s what I think will – guys should turn feminists. That way, a woman who wants to get into an industrial or mechanical profession will have a horde of people rooting for her to succeed