The Malaysian Poetry Writing Fortnight

While discussing our experiences as poets, we weighed the ways in which neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong have developed their respective poetic landscapes.

It is undeniable we have a lineage of great Malaysian poets -- Muhammad Haji Salleh, Ee Tiang Hong, Shirley Geok-Lin Lim, and Usman Awang come to mind immediately -- as well as a strong base of contemporary spoken word poets, though the endeavours of our current generation are not formed around any kind of solid community.

Many of us are chiefly focused on getting published in journals or magazines based in the US, the UK, or even Canada and Australia, the both of us included.

April is often also known as National Poetry Writing Month, a worldwide event where poets attempt to write a poem every day for thirty days.

Our E/SEA neighbours like SingPoWriMo and KongPoWriMo have proven to be vital efforts in nurturing emerging voices, the bedrock of growth in any creative space.

However, although we observed that although robust poetic narratives have become increasingly apparent locally -- a sentiment apparently in the recent publication of Malaysian Millennial Voices, which we’ve both contributed to -- there currently does not exist a similar, nationwide project.

The Malaysian Poetry Writing Fortnight (MPWF) is a result of wrestling with such sentiments.

MPWF aims to give Malaysian poets a place to share and grow their work, while simultaneously affording those not wishing to write to read the amazing range of poetic voices we have locally.

We wish to encourage the development of a more varied contemporary literary scene, revitalising the ways in which we think about Malaysian poetry in English.

A crucial way of doing so entails supporting poets in experimenting with new styles and forms, while creating a positive space that allows them to receive constructive feedback from fellow poets alike.

While this initiative may not be the full month just yet, we hope this pilot project will be the springboard for us to prepare for a full Malaysian Poetry Writing Month next year!

We would love for the connections and poems shared in the group to resonate beyond a fortnight, and that we will be able to inspire others to give poetry a try or to improve their existing craft.

Even if you’re not sure that poetry is for you, we encourage you to join the group, read and support other writers, and maybe try your hand at it too!