Poetry is Still A Universal Language

swinjournalism
2 days ago
2 min read

Young artists are abandoning social media in favour of real ideas in real life at a popular spoken word event in Melbourne’s inner north. Story by Tia Triantafillou

Five years after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, bars and clubs across the city are still struggling to attract crowds but one bar continues to draw big crowds hosting Spoken Word weekly poetry nights.

Writer and performer Hamish Brown believes the event hosted by Bar Oussou is important for many reasons. “I believe self-expression is a huge positive benefit to mental, emotional and even spiritual well-being,” he said.

As someone who is driven by writing as a form of self-expression, Brown says that also engaging with art face-to-face in a physical community is important. Every Tuesday night, creatives gather at Bar Oussou in Brunswick to share their writing with up to 100 others who are seeking connections outside of social media. “The need for self-expression is universal,” said Brown.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, strict isolation changed the daily habits of Melbournians in a way that is still being recovered. With less people extending themselves to support creative communities, Spoken Word offers a much-needed safe and open environment.

The weekly poetry nights began shortly after Bar Oussou opened in 2012 and returned after COVID lockdowns to a surprisingly robust reception. Student Alice Palmer enjoys attending to support her friends’ performances and says it’s beautiful that there are “so many people of all different ages,” putting themselves out there.

Spoken Word fans believe their sense of community comes from the lasting effect of poetry, which is not meant to be consumed and immediately discarded. People leave the event thinking about the performances and the thought behind each poem. Hamish Palmer said, “Poetry is so intentional. It lingers in your mind and has such a deep meaning. I can’t imagine a life without either poetry or music.”

Many others agree, as seen even from the outside of Bar Oussou, where people who walk by are drawn in to hear the poets out of curiosity. As the event continues to thrive, creativity continues to shape relationships to prove that nobody must go without.