Shaping Spaces & Relationships: The Poetry Club @ Theosophy Hall
The Poetry Club tied up with the French Consulate to host a poetry workshop and Open Mic at the Theosophy Hall. They also did this last year after the COP21 conference where they asked attendant poets to write about environmental change. The piece that I wrote for that event was called ‘Climate Change‘. I can’t seem to find a recording so I guess I didn’t make one. This weekend, I brought up a more recent piece that I’ve been working on, one that’s more performance poetry than spoken word. And here it is, ‘Architect‘.
I’ve been missing the TPC monthly events since they moved out of cosy Vakoloft. But I’m going to try and get to more of their meets. It’s always wonderful meeting and hearing performer/ poets like Saurabh Jain, Ramneek Singh, Trupthi Shetty and Ankita Shah. In addition to hearing some really quality poetry, I really like the mood that they bring to these events. These were the early Indian performers that I saw and interacted with and I’ve seen them shape and evolve alongside me. They’ve each managed to grow but also encourage and nurture the upcoming community (unlike some other venues/events). And finally, as a club, they come up with some really innovative events involving poetry. Watch for more soon.
I absolutely loved it. I love how you started it, loved how you ended it, loved how comfortably you spoke. Loved “conversational threads.”
@Kavya Chandra: Thank you so much! Were you at the event too?
Oh no, i live in Jaipur. I would love to attend slams, but none really happen here.
@Kavya Chandra: The Jaipur Literature Festival happens in your city. 😊 I’ve never had a chance to attend but maybe some day I’ll make it. Do look around, maybe there are some little known literature/poetry events happening in your city too? I didn’t even know about such things till I heard about one in the passing. It’s grown in Mumbai in the past year but I think a lot of people in this city also don’t really know it’s happening. Literature groups and events are not like say, music which gets a lot of visibility and attention. You’ve really gotta go hunting but if you find something, it’ll lead you into other communities and events. All the best and please look us up if you’re ever in Mumbai. I run an online & offline writers community called Alphabet Sambar which you can look up on Facebook and Twitter if you’re interested.
Honestly, I HAVE gone hunting. For a city which organises the JLF, it’s amusing how few people are interested in poetry here. I have actually organised a couple of poetry slams myself. Maybe I didn’t advertise it right.
I will definitely check it out, yes. Thank you
@Kavya Chandra: Sorry, I ought to have realised that you would have looked it up. Yes, it is strange that the home to India’s most prestigious festival doesn’t have more literary events. That said, Mumbai was not a very vibrant scene either. It is home to Bollywood but entertainment is a business, not an art for most people here. There has been a resurgence in the poetry scene in the past two-odd years. No clue whether it will last and for how long.
Do look up the writers’ community that I run called Alphabet Sambar. We are present on Facebook and Twitter under the same name and we have members from outside Mumbai too. We’d be happy to help you take the culture of writing forward in anyway we can.
Hehe yes sure!!!
I’m not sure if you know about this community called Kommune, but check that out. Also, I know so many people in Bombay always in for organising slams!! These 17 year olds came up with something they called “Blind Poetry,” and Kommune is basically all about story telling and poetry and fusing it with other forms of art.
So yeah, those. Plus I think Tuning Fork organises a slam/ story telling event every Tuesday?
@Kavya Chandra: Yes, I’ve heard about the Kommune. Missed their last event owing to personal committments. I was at the Blind Poetry you refer to and I know both the organisers. And I am a regular at the Tuning Fork. If you scroll down, you’ll see I’ve posted videos from each of these events. 😀
That’s super cool!!! So you know Prachee and Aranya!!! Hehe that’s really nice!
@Kavya Chandra: Are they your friends? Wonderfully talented girls, both of them.
Yeah I kinda know Prachee, never met Aranya though.