Marc holds workshops on poetry and spoken word

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Singaporean poet and spoken word artiste Marc Nair will be running workshops in Kuching from July 23-24.

Singaporean poet and spoken word artiste Marc Nair will be running workshops in Kuching from July 23-24.

KUCHING: Singaporean poet and photographer Marc Nair will be here to conduct two workshops and perform in a one-man spoken word show next month in a weekend event called ‘WoK with Marc Nair’.

Organised by local performance poetry and spoken word group Wordsmiths of Kuching (WoK), the three events will take place over the weekend of July 23-24.

The fun starts on July 23 (2pm to 5pm) at Indah Cafe, Upper China Street with ‘All the voices in our head: Creative Writing with Marc Nair’.

In this workshop, the focus will be on creating poetry and prose from various prompts and perspectives.

According to Nair, the stories we have to tell need different containers to hold themselves – a poem, perhaps, or a piece of flash fiction. It need not always be performed, but it should be shaped and honed nonetheless.

On July 24 (10am-1pm), veteran poetry slammer and performance poet Nair will give an introduction to the spoken word in ‘Louder than the room’.

He will take participants through the basics of what makes a successful slam poem; from the use of imagery, characterisation and poetic voice in writing to transforming the poem into something stage-worthy.

Along the way, he will be sharing his own poems, which run the gamut in subject matter from beards to American television to pan-Asians.

This is a fantastic opportunity for local writers and poets to work with an established writer and performer.

The fee for each workshop is RM75.

For those who’d rather sit back and watch Nair perform, come listen to the ‘Poet of Unlove’ in a journey that blends spoken word with pop culture, social commentary and satire.

This evening show starts at 7.30pm and will be held at Chinahouse at The Old Courthouse.

In his one-man show, Marc makes light of our universe; from a song on cliches to television for dogs and even Kenny G, turning an incisive eye to the weird, wonderful and wild in life.

Tickets are available at RM35 each, which includes a copy of Nair’s book, ‘The Poet of Unlove’ (retails for SGD12).

Marc Nair has published six volumes of poetry and has been featured in numerous anthologies in print and online.

He has performed the spoken word for over 10 years in more than 10 countries and has represented Singapore in international competitions. He is also a founding member of local spoken word troupe, Party Action People.

A former teacher, Nair enjoys teaching creative writing and photography classes in schools and institutions. He was the 2015 Writer-In-Residence at Gardens by the Bay.

He is the co-founder and principal photographer of Mackerel, a culture magazine.

Wordsmiths of Kuching (WoK) is a group of budding storytellers, performance poets, spoken word artistes and creative locals who are interested in bringing their written word behind a microphone.

They organise two core events – ‘First Reading’ and ‘Word of Mouth KCH’.

‘First Reading’ is an informal gathering for writers and poets to share new pieces, and get to know each other in a relaxed environment. ‘Word of Mouth KCH’ is an event where everyone is welcomed to share their original short stories, poems or anything done through the human voice and using words.

For updates or more information, go to facebook.com/womkch or email [email protected]. For tickets, visit wordsmithsofkuching.peatix.com.