This Sunday at 2 pm at the Bookworm, as part of the 9th annual Bookworm Literary Festival, seven community poets will join two visiting writers/performers for Poetry Beijing, a celebration of verse and the power of the spoken word. But more importantly, it’ll be a spotlight for this community’s regular literary events and the people who run them. For example…
Liz Richards, co-host, organizes the monthly Word of Mouth series at the Bookworm, a poetry open mic that brings together experienced poets and newcomers alike.
Kassy Lee, a published poet, organizes events every two months in the Gulou area, including the unique series “Transmigrant Flow,” which has been described as “poetry speed dating.”
Anna Yates, who’s into performance art, represents Scratching Beijing, a performance platform for multidisciplinary artists.
Anthony Tao, who is probably writing this in third-person, hosted Poetry Night in Beijing at last year’s Literary Festival.
We’ve also invited published poet Edward Ragg, current Beijing International High School Slam champion Vanessa Meng, and the eccentric and wholly unique Elijah Grantham. The lineup’s diversity alone is compelling.
We’ll be joined by two visiting poets, Zohab Zee Khan — the current Australian Slam Poetry champion — and Maxine Beneba Clarke, a widely traveled Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent. Khan will have his own solo spoken-word show — Evident — at 8 pm on Sunday. Clarke’s solo performance, Nothing Here Needs Fixing, is on Tuesday at 8 pm.
And now, your chance to see everything for cheap(er): The Bookworm is offering a special deal for BJC readers: attendees of Poetry Beijing can buy tickets for either/both Khan and/or Clarke’s shows for half-price.
In addition, those who purchase a ticket for Clarke’s poetry workshop on Sunday (10 am) will get a free ticket to her solo performance AND a free ticket to either Poetry Beijing or Khan’s “Evident.” Your pick.
There’s a lot of poetry to enjoy this weekend, and we hope you make the most of it.
For a reminder of what Poetry Beijing was like last year, check out these posts.
