GROUP PHOTO: Poets, judges and members of the organising committee in a group photo at UCSI’s Poetry Slam Competition 2015.

THE JUDGES: (from right): Sharmin Parameswaran, owner of Interpr8 Art Space; Sukhbir Cheema, UCSI alumni and writer; Sheena Baharudin, founder of performing arts event NUMINOUS; Asst Prof Dr Ivie Carbon Esteban, Organising Chair; Nabila Najwa, internatio

ALL SMILES: (from left): Asst Prof Dr Ivie Carbon Esteban, Organising Chair; Elaine Foster, host and trainer and Melizarani T. Selva, guest poet at the UCSI Poetry Slam Competition 2015.

WOMEN WHO RHYME: (from left): Illya Sumanto, 1st runner-up; Fadzlin Roslee, grand prize winner and Mapalo Kapumpa, 2nd runner-up of UCSI’s Poetry Slam Competition 2015.

STRIKE-A-POSE: At 68 years old, Melville Jayathissa (middle) was the oldest and most sporting contestant. Here, he and his teammates pose with their version of the ‘Three Wise Monkeys’ pictorial maxim at UCSI’s Poetry Slam Workshop 2015.

ICE-BREAKING: Trainer, Elaine Foster (middle) warming up the participants by making them choose an action that describes them the most.

KUALA LUMPUR: Can poetry be cool, fun and entertaining? Leaving the likes of Shakespeare behind, the participants of UCSI University’s (UCSI) inaugural Poetry Slam Competition 2015, brought their own brand of literary finesse on stage. From sizzling hot topics like feminism, love and relationships, 13 amateur poets not only wrote their own poems, they performed it to an appreciative crowd. 

A poetry slam is a competition where poets recite their original works. Delivery styles vary from those similar to hip-hop music to the more theatrical performances with shifting voices and tones. 

Narrating about sexual discrimination, the eloquence of Fadzlin Roslee saw her edge out another 12 aspiring poets to bag the first prize. A law student from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Fadzlin was surprised and elated at her win. 

“I didn’t expect to win. I have never performed nor participated in any slams before, but I do remember watching my first poetry slam some time ago. I was just blown away at how moving it was for me,” said the soft-spoken lass. 

Coming a close second was spoken word poet, educator, event organiser and part-time TV host, Illya Sumanto. With her positive energy, confidence, humour and charm, Illya’s performance in the final round resonated deeply with the audience, who responded to her poem by snapping their fingers – a tradition at poetry readings as an applause. 

The 2nd runner-up was a fresh slam poet hailing from Zambia; Mapalo Kapumpa. 

“I had no idea how it was going to turn out. I was nervous, as I have never read out my poems to anybody before. I expected to get knocked out in the first round itself,” chuckled Mapalo who began writing poetry in her late teens. 

According to Mapalo, although it was an easy crowd to go up in front of, she was not ready for the judges. However, the cheerful student, who is currently reading architecture in UCSI, touched the crowd and the judges with her profound poem on gender equality, inspired by her mother. 

The UCSI Poetry Slam Competition 2015 was organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts (FOSSLA). The competition was preceded by a Poetry Slam Workshop 2015, held on the 5th of September 2015. The workshop was led by well-known poetry educator; Elaine Foster. Both the Workshop and Competition were organised to encourage creative cross-disciplinary communication through the spoken word. Both events are part of UCSI’s ongoing Right to Read campaign that aims to encourage the passion for reading. 

The Competition was officiated by Senior Prof Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff, the Vice-Chancellor and President of UCSI University. In his speech, he spoke about the importance of poetry in daily life. 

“While science deals with the objective, the measurable, the testable, arts and poetry deal with the subjective, the human spirit, human values and care,” he said in his speech. 

According to Assoc Prof Dr Shalini Teresa Fernandez, Head of the English Language & Communication Department (ELC), the Competition was also part of the university’s effort to nurture young talents. This was exemplified through the special poetry performance by the students of ELC entitled, ‘Life, Love and Death’ featured in the event. 

“I hope that through this event, participants will gain enough courage to go to the open mic sessions, develop themselves and become our next generation of poets and writers,” said Dr Shalini. 

The competition impressed the judges, including Sukhbir Cheema, a writer who is also a UCSI alumnus. The other judges were Sharmin Parameswaran, owner of Interpr8 Art Space; Sheena Baharudin, founder of performing arts event NUMINOUS; Nabila Najwa, internationally published author; and Dr Adrian Hare from Sunway University’s Centre for English Language Studies. 

Melizarani T. Selva, the guest poet who recently launched her poetry collection titled, ‘Taboo’, also graced the event. 

According to the spoken poet, having slams in university campuses are very important, as they are the best platforms to expose students and youngsters to poetry. It also gives the hidden talents the opportunity to be heard. 

One of the participants who also performed for the first time was Melville Jayathissa, a 68-year-old paralegal from Sreenevasan Young (Advocates & Solicitors). Having been drawn to anything that rhymed when he was in school, Melville claimed that the Competition was a revelation for him. 

“I never knew that poetry could be slammed. This is definitely an eye-opener for me. I was nervous, but the crowd was great. When they snapped their fingers, I knew I was doing the right thing.” 

In line with the theme of the Competition, ‘Freedom’, Melville decided to perform a poem that he wrote for a girl he saw at the school library 49 years ago. 

“This poem is about freedom. The freedom to love a girl from afar,” said the man coyly. 

Also present at the Competition was Asst Prof Dr Chan Nee Nee, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts. 

“The response was fantastic! On behalf of the organising committee, I would like to thank those who came and supported the event. We hope to organise this again next year and we look forward to a bigger crowd,” said Dr Chan.