Change in verse

starting today, the first-ever feminist poetry festival will kick off with online panel discussions, readings and performances

Discouraged from writing "bold" poems by a spouse who was her friend before being a husband, feminist Urdu poet Kishwar Naheed stated, "Creativity cannot be regulated nor should it be," in an interview to a Pakistani magazine. She decided then, to keep her work away from his sight, and so, he got to read it at the same time the rest of the world did — when it was published.

Feminist poetry, as a movement, came to be in the 1960s, and it has grown all over the world by leaps and bounds ever since. A six-day event starting today aims to be another platform to spread the discourse. Titled Feminist Poetry Festival, it has been curated by Kena Shree, poet and blogger, Sushruti Tripathi, poet and creative consultant, Saumya Kulshreshtha, founder of Delhi Poets Collective, Foram Shah, founder of Spill Poetry, and Shaili Chopra, founder of SheThePeople.

Shaili Chopra

Chopra shares that the idea for the event was conceived over a month ago, and that a festival exclusively on feminist poetry has never been held on such a scale before. "Feminist poetry in India has been largely a product of social media, especially Instagram. We wanted this to be a safe space as well as give a plank to up and coming talent. We're providing a collective platform for individual revolutions," says Chopra.

The line-up includes noted poets from the country, including Arundhati Subramaniam, Rochelle Potkar, Megha Rao and Sriti Jha. Global voices such as Sabrina Benaim, Bryony Littlefair, and Charmaine Pollard are part of the agenda that includes panels, readings, performances and workshops.

Foram Shah

There will also be an open mic for new talent. "It also welcomes people who aren't exposed as much to poetry through two sessions — one deals with how to write poetry and the other on how to get published," Shah informs.

On Today, 6 pm to August 9, 10 pm
Log on to insider.in
Cost Rs 149

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