Melbourne Spoken Word Presents Brandon Wint

Melbourne Spoken Word is proud to bring you Canadian spoken word artist and teaching poet, Brandon Wint.

Brandon Wint will be supported by Nour Abouzeid, Magan Magan, Soreti – Hawiine and Jeltje Fanoy.

BRANDON WINT is a poet, spoken word artist and teacher who is devoted to the articulation of the beauty within the human condition. His intricately-rendered performance pieces present a passionate, sincere and whimsical version of humanity. His writing, performance, and pedagogical approach all affirm, in their different ways, that there is beauty to be found in the struggle, and solace to be found in sincerity-of-spirit. He is an artist who uses poetry to harness empathy within himself, and have each of his words, deeds, creations and performances reflect that empathy unambiguously. He is a two-time national champion slam poet, a nationally published writer, as well as arts-educator and curator of artistic events.

NOUR ABOUZEID is a generation Y Muslim Australian who has been frustrated with the world and has a lot to say. Loud and outspoken, he is a regular on the Melbourne Slam scene, and a member of the 2018 Slamalamadingdong National Poetry Slam team. He has performed along side acclaimed international performers such as Amir Sulaiman, Mark Gonzales, Liza Garza, Sarah Kay, Phil Kaye and Boonaa Mohamed. In 2010 he became the Victorian State Champion in the Australian Poetry Slam and was again a state finalist in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. When he’s not doing that or his day job, he enjoys photography and collecting sneakers and Lego sets.

MAGAN MAGAN is a writer and poet undertaking creative writing at Victoria University. He has read his work at the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Young Writers Festival, the Emerging Writers Festival, and La Mamma Poetica. His work has been published in Hyde magazine, literary arts journal ‘Offset’, Cordite Poetry Review and anthologies ‘Shots From The Chamber’, ‘Hunter Anthology of Contemporary Australian Feminist Poetry, and Australian Poetry. He is currently co curating forthcoming anthology ‘Growing Up African In Australia’ due to release in 2019 with Black Inc publisher. Magan’s full-­‐length collection titled ‘From Grains to Gold’ is due to release November 3rd 2018 with Vulgar Press.

SORETI, known also as Hawiine, is a female, Oromo, multidisciplinary creative who’s expression currently includes performance poetry, writing and music. Her work uses story to communicate the truth(s) that she has experienced. She does so grounded in the belief that, the genuine communication of truth, enables us to see each other with a greater sense of conscious empathy, and through action taken from this place, Hawiine believes that a just, peaceful world, is a true possibility. She writes and performs to feel, and give example of, emotional liberation. To remember our right to live for what we love. Her work is mediumship for the beauty of truth. She is passionate about her Oromummaa, about the global indigenous experience; about seeing the continent of her birth embrace itself; about all on earth knowing of, and living through, their inherent greatness. She released a musical compilation of poetry called Prides Claw, she is the author of one book of poetry with another book on the way. Her journey has seen her speak, perform and collaborate in a variety of contexts across Australia and the wider world, from the international aid and development industry, grassroots community organising, festivals, conferences, panels and numerous poetry features.

JELTJE FANOY has been involved with poetry small presses in Melbourne since the seventies and is a founding member of collective effort press and the Melbourne Poets Union. She calls herself a ‘minimalist traveller’ in her poetry, where everyday spoken language is crafted into collage-like pieces with characteristic simplicity and directness. As a performer she’s conscious of possibilities of rhythm, stress and frequency to disrupt and transform oppressive dominant narratives. Outsider experience is at the centre of her work, and her latest collection ‘Flying into the hands of strangers’ extends from migration to compassionate imaginings of the plight of refugees.