The Islamic Museum of Australia

The Islamic Museum of Australia was proud to host our inaugural Poetry Week from March 21^st– 24^th, coinciding with Harmony Day that was celebrated nationally on March 21^st. Our vision for hosting poetry week here at the Museum was to celebrate harmony through the poetic medium, giving voice to the range of experiences that make up the diverse facets of Australian identity. The first event in our series was a poetry reading titled ‘The Dervish with Wings’ with Elif Sezen, a Turkish writer, artist and poet living in Melbourne who recently launched her first book in English, ‘Universal Mother’. Elif’s passion for poetry began at a young age, when she started writing poetry aged twelve. Later, she studied painting and poetry at Dokuz Eylul University (Izmir) and obtained her PhD in Fine Art from Monash University. The nature of this intimate evening meant that attendees were able to cherish the opportunity to listen to Elif give a reading of selected poetic works from a chapbook created for this occasion titled ‘The Dervish with Wings’ which attendees were available to purchase on the night. The energy in the room was palpable as Elif took us on a poetic journey, sharing her work and allowing the audience to bask in the opportunity to listen to a reading delivered by the poet herself. IMA offers its heartfelt thanks to Elif for her hard work and creative efforts in developing and conducting this event. The next event in our series was ‘Poetry Under the Stars’ and saw IMA partner up with Ms Millie’s Pop up Poetry Café for an evening of slam poetry, feature performances from both emerging and established spoken word artists, as well as munching on delicious desserts. As fate would have it, despite the scorching summer heat, what should have been a balmy Melbournian evening of poetry under the night sky ended up in torrential downpour! Our spirits refusing to be dampened by the rain, our events team quickly moved our poetry night inside, where our guests gathered in the Islamic Contributions to Civilisations gallery, sitting on colourful cushions atop the chessboard, the gallery strewn with twinkling fairy lights as spoken word artists confidently performed their pieces surrounded by the legacy of rich and diverse inventions that have their origins rooted in Islamic cultures and nations. ‘It’s always been my dream to have an indoor event like this in the galleries at night!’ mused IMA General Manager, Ash Naim who was delighted to see over seventy people scattered in the gallery for a magical and memorable poetic experience. During the short interval guests delightedly feasted on an array of desserts including coconut rice pudding, cherry tart, pecan pie, banana cream pie and a selection of baklava bejewelled with pistachios and cashews drizzled in sweet honey. Poetry Week duly considered a resounding success, IMA was honoured to have brought such an eclectic and diverse group of people together, grounded upon our common love for the poetic medium and our desire to come together as a community shedding light on the nuances of Australian identity that make up this rich and diverse nation.

Poetry Week at IMA