Poetry events offer shared spaces where sincerity is no longer viewed as “cringe” and where pouring your heart and soul on stage is not, as coined by Gen-Z, “extra,” but is met with the encouragement of an equally passionate audience. Brown Women Poetry
Held in the unassuming WestWords building in Parramatta, the Australian South Asian Centre’s Brown Women Poetry offered Brown women the chance to, “celebrate, elevate and lean on each other,” as recited by Lamisa during her performance.
The line up of poets, selected by producer of the show Sashi Sureshan and her team, came from various backgrounds and included people from across the age spectrum.
“We looked at merit, theme and skill level to create a fair balance, plus offer space to both emerging and experienced poets,” she says.
But considering the command that all the artists had of the stage, it was impossible to differentiate between the newbies and the veterans. Their ability to keep the audience entranced by the spoken word, in an era where visual media prevails, is a true testament to their artistry.
Anchored on the themes of “healing, visibility and solidarity,” the event was hosted by Rupa Parthasarathy, an art therapist, counsellor and founder of the wellness studio, Mindkshetra. Her poem ‘Brown Women Don’t Whisper’ was the first performance of the night. Meditating on the impacts of inter-generational trauma, she recites:
“Brown women don’t whisper / because we are the sound of our granddaughters’ unspoken dreams / the rhythm of our mothers’ unfinished sentences / the roar of our daughters who refuse to inherit silence…”
“Brown Women Don’t Whisper, is kind of sarcastic,” Parthasarathy explains “because everybody probably has a grandmother or a mother who is stern and shouts more than whispers. But at the same time, I wanted to show how Brown women can’t afford to whisper, because otherwise, our identities would disappear.”
Her piece became an ode to the freedom and confidence with which the poets expressed themselves throughout the night.
Lamisa’s poem “An Immigrant Sister’s Envy and Love,” carries echoes of the hatred and pain left in the wake of the anti-immigration protests. In her poem, she expressed her uneasy relationship with those who are somewhat sheltered from racism due to their ethnic ambiguity: “I envy that you’re not the media appointed face of condemnation and vilification.”
Sashi Sureshan’s poem gave a different perspective on the self, through her recital of her poem, ‘Otherhood,’ from her soon to be published poetry collection Ain’t No Hood Like Motherhood. In the poem, she paints the struggle of trying to win over her own son.
Speaking to Indian Link after the event, she explains, “Society shows us the successful vision of a well-dressed slim lady, who cares warmly for lots of kids, living in a house she owns with her husband. When my life didn’t match this, I felt like the worst Amma in the world, even though I was paying the bills.”
But amidst these hard-hitting themes were moments of levity. Oormila Prahlad’s dynamic yet humorous reading of her poem ‘Amelia,’ was a crowd favourite. Her monologue of a woman frustrated by those who mispronounced her name and by extension, disregarded her identity was, no doubt, relatable to many.
Other poets include Charu Kotera who weaved a story of resilience around a sari, Jeremiah Gooseberrye’s powerful poems touched on identity and railed against the fetishisation of South Asian bodies, Megan Dhakshini spoke about love and loss and Anisha reflected on the experience of “fighting against your culture,” and later embracing it. Delving into the themes of sisterhood, Nayonika Bhattacharya wrote about the beauty and pain of being the eldest daughter whilst Richa Mistry’s poem ‘Poetic is a Platonic Love,’ which was one out of the four poems she presented, was a reflection on the joys of female friendships.
All these poems were accompanied by nods of approval from the audience and the percussive sounds of finger clicks. But amidst these cheers was a deep sense of recognition. For a moment, these poets and the audience formed a community, where membership was conditional on having a genuine interest in the themes expressed.
“As a producer, it gives me great satisfaction to see the relationship-building these events facilitate. For creatives to find sisterhood, community and for audiences from different backgrounds to discover our perspectives,” Sashi says. Brown Women Poetry
In a culture where expressing your feelings without irony has become rare, attending a poetry event can become a form of rebellion. And with so many ways to avoid gatekeepers to the stage, Sashi Sureshan encourages artists in waiting to get involved in the arts scene early. Brown Women Poetry
“It’s the best way to learn from other poets and to hone your own pieces…Please don’t stop writing. Don’t stop sharing. I’d love to see your words light up another event.”
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