Front Row

There's been a surge of local productions that directly incorporate poetry with other performance disciplines like music, theatre, dance, and the visual arts. This episode, Sheena Baharudin explores the different ways poetry engages with the arts. In conversation with her to do just that are Veshalini Naidu and Hannan Barakbah. Music Credit: Lakey Inspired Track Name: Days Like These See omnystudi...

The travelling minstrel was a medieval poet and a musician. Also known as a troubadour, they often travelled in troupes across countries and continents bringing stories and weaving. Joining Elaine Foster on this month’s edition of Speak Easy is a modern day minstrel and travelling poet from Singapore, Deborah Emmanuel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a short hiatus, Speak Easy is back for Season 2 with a new host, Sheena Baharudin, joined by last season’s host, Elaine Foster. We kick off this season with a change of scene by leaving the open mic stage in pubs for the experimental theatre space. Find out how poetry and cabaret come together to create a dazzling, delightful fusion of performance art. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

The travelling minstrel was a medieval poet and a musician. Also known as a troubadour, they often travelled in troupes across countries and continents bringing stories and weaving. Joining Elaine Foster on this month’s edition of Speak Easy is a modern day minstrel and travelling poet from Singapore, Deborah Emmanuel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speak Easy turns one! From biblical psalms to Quranic verses, poetry has helped us explore the meaning of our existence. In the season finale of Speak Easy, Elaine Foster speaks to Sheena Baharudin to examine the role of poetry in spirituality. Together with producer, Tina Carmillia, they also announce future plans for the second season of Speak Easy after a short hiatus. See omnystudio.com/listen...

The history of women’s writing is inextricably linked to the history of the women’s movement. Spaces, before the movement for women’s right, private or public were dominated by men and that included the spaces occupied by the literary communities. But how relevant is the women’s movement to today’s young women poets? Elaine Foster checks in with Caits Meissner for her...

Poetry and theatre are part of the same discipline, and yet there's often a perceived division between the two. Can we argue that all theatre is, in one sense at least, poetry performed? Seasoned theatre practitioner of KL Shakespeare Players and BFM’s own Lim Soon Heng weighs in on this contentious topic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month on Speak Easy, Elaine Foster invites two poets to do a round-up of the year that was 2017. Azam Rais is a seasoned poet and host of Poet X, an online podcast series of spoken word poetry, while Julian Matthews only discovered spoken word poetry recently. The contrasting experiences of both guests provide a thought-provoking insight into the spoken word scene in Malaysia. See omnystudio....

This month, Speak Easy focuses on how poetry and poetry slam are being used in education across schools and universities in Malaysia to improve things students’ confidence, develop their self expression, and language skills. But poetry in education can do a whole lot more. We hear from poetry educator Yohanna Yusrinal, as well as poet-students Tee Yen, Amanda Lim, Elissa Foong and Taarani Ma...

There has been no bigger influence on contemporary poetry than hip hop. It’s difficult to see where hip hop begins and spoken word poetry ends. But despite all their similarities, academics still argue whether rap is poetry. This month on Speak Easy, Elaine Foster speaks to Malaysian hip hop artist, Jin Hackman, and spoken word poet, Sheena Baharudin, about poetry and hip hop. See omnystudio...

There has been no bigger influence on contemporary poetry than hip hop. It’s difficult to see where hip hop begins and spoken word poetry ends. But despite all their similarities, academics still argue whether rap is poetry. This month on Speak Easy, Elaine Foster speaks to Malaysian hip hop artist, Jin Hackman, and spoken word poet, Sheena Baharudin, about poetry and hip hop. See omnystudio...

This episode, we focus on the minority identities of East Malaysia, whose stories, our guests argue, are often hidden, lost in the larger narrative of Malaysia. We learn from them about the issues of representation, and how important it is to have a specifically Sarawakian/Sabahan voice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode, we talk about counterculture and Beat poetry. Beat poets and the culture they espoused was anti-establishment and non-conformist. Are the hipster poets of the now “beat” in any way? Is spoken word meaningful counterculture? Jack Malik and Azizan Afi weigh in before performing their own haiku/jazz live improvisation, featuring Axam Maumoon on saxophone. See omnystudio.com/...

Where there has been a rise in performance poetry events there has also been an increase in stand up comedy events but it’s comedy that has been able to mainstream faster, gaining much larger audiences. The two mediums actually have a lot in common, share a history, and not just in their propensity to sometimes be funny. What can performance poets learn from stand up’s commercial succe...

Where there has been a rise in performance poetry events there has also been an increase in stand up comedy events but it’s comedy that has been able to mainstream faster, gaining much larger audiences. The two mediums actually have a lot in common, share a history, and not just in their propensity to sometimes be funny. What can performance poets learn from stand up’s commercial succe...

Speak Easy is a monthly spoken word poetry show featuring local talents every first Tuesday of the month. In this second instalment, Elaine Foster speaks to slam experts Jamal Raslan and Yohanna Yusrinal about poetry slam, the competition that poets love to hate. This month’s writing prompt is: “The 7 deadly sins. Greed, Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, Rage, Envy, Pride. Which applies to you? W...

Speak Easy is a monthly spoken word poetry show featuring local talents every first Tuesday of the month. The pilot episode introduces three published poets who are also spoken word performers. This month’s writing prompt is: There is a very strong relationship between Malaysians and food. Tell us how would you eat poetry. -- 4:38 - Melizarani T Selva - Indiantity 12:24 - Alana Azlan - I&rsq...

The Damansara Performing Arts Centre’s “Spectrum” music recital aims to highlight the beauty and relevance of Malaysia’s traditional music; as part of this, they are presenting a showcase of Sarawakian performing arts called “Kelunan”. The performance will explore the theme of love through multidisciplinary performances that draw on Sarawak’s traditional a...

Sheena Baharudin explores the world of spoken word poetry in the form of podcast series produced by Malaysian poets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A peribahasa-inspired title, Matahari Jangan Tidure, Nanti Hilang Belang; a post-apocalyptic setting; two characters; and, a story that is maybe Malaysian. We speak with writer/director Arief Hamizan about his latest play, which examines a “contemporary myth for urban millennials”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Merdeka and Malaysia Day coming up, we look at some of Malaysia’s rapidly disappearing cultural practices and art forms, and the people who are working to preserve them. In the first of a two-parter, we look at Orang Asli weaving with artist Shaq Koyok, the Awang Batil storytelling tradition from Perlis with practitioner Romli Mahmud, and traditional boat-making from Terengganu with boa...

The WVC Jazz Ensemble is back to present a series of concerts, called Music of Words, where different concerts focus on different themes - but all revolving around the coming together of music and literature. And for the first time, WVC will be performing a show entirely dedicated to love ballads. We speak with Tay Cher Siang and Aj popshuvit from the ensemble about what we can expect from the con...

In his latest art exhibition titled “Routine”, Malaysian artist Fazrin Abd Rahman creates contemporary works from materials like aluminium and spray paint, which nevertheless draw on traditional Malay culture and practices. We speak with Fazrin about his work and his inspirations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his latest art exhibition titled “Routine”, Malaysian artist Fazrin Abd Rahman creates contemporary works from materials like aluminium and spray paint, which nevertheless draw on traditional Malay culture and practices. We speak with Fazrin about his work and his inspirations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us know of Francis Light as the founder of the British colony in Penang. And 50 years later, his son William laid out the city of Adelaide in Australia. Using these two generations as a starting point, a theatre production called “Light” brings together creatives from Malaysia and Australia to interrogate history, colonisation, and the stories we tell ourselves - as well as to...