Once considered a rather introspective calling, poets of bygone eras expressed their personal thoughts in formal sonnets and verse, with strict rules governing the rhyme, metre and subject matter of their poems.
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The rise of rap and hip hop culture has provided the basis for some of today's newest and most exciting poetry. Beginning in the mid-80s, the development of what's now known as Slam Poetry created a more extroverted form of spoken wordplay, often addressing social themes and delivered competitively in public venues.
One of Australia's most successful Slam poets is educator, motivational speaker, and hip-hop artist Zohab Zee Khan. Since 2006 he's been building a formidable career in spoken word poetry, becoming Australian Poetry Slam Champion in 2014, and a finalist in that year's International Slam.
"It was something that I'd worked towards for half a decade, and that made me realise that it's the entire journey rather than any individual point of achievement along the way that's most important," Zohab said.
Zohab's first collection of poetry, I Write, reached bestseller status within five months of its launch in 2015, and his work now regularly takes him to schools and stages around the world.
A fourth-generation Australian of Pakistani heritage, Zohab grew up working in his father's kebab shop in Griffith. But being an ethnic minority in a small town wasn't always easy, and it took him years to build up his self-confidence.
He turned his focus inward, using the experiences of isolation and discrimination to fuel his own creativity. "The other kids didn't necessarily want me to be a part of them, so I thought, 'I'm going to do what I want to do'."
As a featured participant in this year's Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival, in addition to acting as MC for Friday night's Poetry Slam, Zohab will also be conducting a special two-hour ' Spoken Word Poetry Boot Camp' workshop on the Saturday afternoon at the Youth Hub - free for anyone under 20. He'll also take part in the Sunday morning Contemporary Poetry panel discussion, and present his own inspired 1-hour solo performance on Sunday evening at No. 5 Church Street.
"With the Boot Camp my focus is always to engender a sense of confidence, and to encourage the personal self-expression of those that attend. I believe we're really all poets, and whenever I interact with young people I just try to be the type of person that I would have liked to have talked to me when I was that age."
Full details of Zohab's sessions at the 2019 Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival: http://bellingenwritersfestival.com.au/zohab-zee-khan-2/
- A version of this story was first published in Bellbottom magazine
Bello Poetry Slam
Friday 7 June, 7:30-11:30pm, (doors open 7pm)
Memorial Hall - $15
