Layl Ash-Shayr 11

About the Programme

Layl Ash-Shayr, which loosely translates from Arabic to “Poetry Night”, is an open-mic and spoken word event for Muslim writers in Singapore to share their work and engage with fellow creatives.

For our sixth session in 2024, we’re excited to have  Khairul Jafni and Izyanti Asa’ari. We will also open up the stage for 5 open-mic slots for emerging voices in the SG Muslim literary scene to perform, gain experience and network with other fellow writers. Ultimately, we hope to build a network of Muslim writers who can support one another in their literary journeys.

Event Details

In-person Only
Day/Date: Thursday, 8th August 2024
Time: 8.15pm - 9.35pm
Venue: Wardah Books, Reading Loft (Level 2)

Ticketed event, registration is compulsory.
General Ticket: $10
LAS Supporter Ticket: $15
Purchase tickets here: tinyurl.com/laylash-shayr11

About the Open-Mic

We are welcoming Muslim poets of any experience level, whether you’ve attended classes, published poems or have never let your poetry leave your notebook/smart phone, we want you!Here are some guidelines for you to follow:

1. You will have 5 mins to perform any number of pieces.
2. There is no set theme. Pick any topic for your piece!
3. That said, please ensure religious sensitivity and tactfulness when addressing sensitive topics, and generally avoid using crude language in your poems. We may request poems to be swapped or partially edited to ensure they are suitable for our audience.
4. Your poems can take any shape and form - be experimental about it! Just let us know in advance should you need tech/equipment support.
5. Non-English poems or poems with snippets of other languages can be performed, but we do request you provide an English translation (whether read aloud or shared on screen/through a link!).
6. Your poems can be previously published, living rent-free in your head or written mere minutes prior!

About the Speakers

Khairul Jafni is a history researcher and a student in the Southeast Asian Studies Master’s Programme at National University of Singapore. He bridges his past as an academically trained painter with his present pursuit of uncovering Southeast Asia’s hidden narratives. To him, words are brushstrokes, sentences are layers and language is the frame that transports the reader to/through a poetic landscape and time.

Izyanti Asa’ari is a writer and co-founder of Fellow Design. Her works have appeared in anthologies This is Not a Safety Barrier (Ethos Books, 2016), to let the light in (SingLit Station, 2021), New Singapore Poetries (Gaudy Books, 2022), and others. She is interested in studying the major and minor notes of what makes a city tick, and the gestures a body makes against its own will.

Khairul and Izyanti were published in Layl Ash-Shayr’s inaugural anthology of poems by Muslims based in Singapore titled, Layl Ash-Shayr Voi. 1: The Opening Act. Click here to read more.