Last Thursday 18th April 2024, I had the absolute pleasure of featuring at Spoke & Bird in Singapore.
I arrived at the Book Bar early and met the owner, Alex. If you are in Singapore, or visit Singapore, DEFINITELY check out this book shop. There are so many amazing books to be found here. And grab some food and something to drink while you are there too!
Steph Chan arrived a little after me. It was so great to finally meet in person and the poem they shared later in the night was SO good too!
The open mic kicked off at 8pm. Everyone was so incredible. So incredible, in fact, that it made me adjust my set-list as I felt the energy and vibe of the room!
The first feature for the night was Wen-Yi Lee, who has a new book, “The Dark We Know” coming out later this year, so keep an eye out for that! The poetic prose shared definitely left me wanting more and waiting for this book!
The first break saw some important conversations begin with a number of people, and this reinforced the changes I had made to my set-list as I sought to ensure I met the audience where they needed me to meet them, sharing words that would resonate with them.
The second open mic set was as incredible as the first!
Then came my performance. I ended up squeezing 10 poems into my set, and the audience were definitely engaged. It was truly an honour and a privilege to be a part of the evening and to have an opportunity to share, both poetically and in conversation.
Wrapping up around 10pm, the venue closed around 10:30pm, and the conversations moved outside into the street. The conversations were important and reminded me why the words I write and share are so important to both me and to others.
New friends were made, and I hope that we were all able to help each other, even just for a point in time. But hopefully the things we talked through and shared help us all for a long time to come.
Thank you again to Spoke & Bird and the Book Bar for running such a great event and giving me the opportunity to share. I am truly honoured and grateful.
And thanks to my new friends who I was talking to outside long after the event ended. I managed to catch the last MRT back to my hotel… Thanks for letting me know they stopped at midnight!
If anyone is after a copy of my first poetry collection, “Soul Refraction” (Dragonfly Publishing), it’s available from most online bookstores, or DM me and I will make sure you can get a copy either locally, or directly from me.
On another note, it looks like I might have some more opportunities coming up later this year in both Australia and overseas, so watch this space…
Paul R Kohn's World of Words 