Witness the magic of Poetry Tuesday in Melville featuring six poets

The event that will take place at Spilt Milk Social Café on July 25, 2023, costs R150 per person, including a meal and a drink.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

I have said it before, and I will say it again –the Poetry Tuesday events at the Melville coffee shop Spilt Milt Social Café, are an intimate affair that sees poets and friends of poetry enjoy an evening of poetry readings and performances under an atmosphere of relaxation with a glass of wine and a meal.

The sessions are certainly gaining momentum, and the fact that the next session will feature six poets as the main acts for the evening, and after which there will be an Open Mic Session where anybody in the room who feels that they have something to share can go on stage and do their thing is testimony enough to the growing profile of the Poetry Tuesday sessions.

What is also interesting is that those who will be featured are free to bring a friend along at no cost –something essential especially for shy poets who need encouragement from the presence of their close friends, and the poets can also sell their books during the event, creating a market for poets. This last point is quite important in that often poets go the independent route when it comes to publishing, unlike novels or non-fiction books that South African publishers often prefer over poetry.

However it is often from poetry where the magic of words emerges, talented writers display their abilities with words and they are able to tell often very personal stories with a universal appeal. Therefore stories that are told in poetry, are so powerful that they tend to induce emotions in the audience as they connect with the issues being ventilated by a poet on stage.

Therefore issues such as love, pain, loneliness, excitement and tragedy often dominate the genre of poetry. This time around, the event will witness the magic of words from poets Peloentle, Dr Poetry, Deity Ajna, Tshepo Molefe and Explosive.