Context is proud to host a staunch line up of Soul Lounge poets as they share their words—their profundity will challenge you, their talent will move you. Hosted by Stevie Zhao and with readings from Manal Younus, Prosper, Brenton Lam, Divya Jacob, San San Ja and Ruhi Yaganagi. Soul Lounge is a monthly poetry night for poets of colour to share their incredible work.

An initiative of the City of Adelaide delivered in partnership with Writers SA

About the Artists

Mingyu Zhao (he/him), also known as ‘Stevie B.’ is a Chinese-Australian male who learnt to develop a voice to move others, after breaking free from the expressive repression of traditional Chinese culture. Practicing on Kaurna land, he has always contemplated what it means to exist, especially among one’s inner conversations, the material and the inanimate, and other beings. His current art form is spoken word poetry, through which he is currently revisiting what life was like growing up as a Chinese boy in Australia along with exploring his cultural identity as a queer, Chinese-Australian.

Manal Younus is a storyteller who believes that language and stories are the very fabric of our existence. Originally from Eritrea now based on Kaurna Country in South Australia, she uses her writing and performance to create experiences that encourage audiences to join her in asking questions of themselves and the world around them.

Brenton Lam 林啟豐 Storyteller He/Him

Divya (she/her) got into poetry to help express herself, using allegories as a sort of safe haven to hide behind. She started coming out of her shell and occasionally started performing in poetry events, getting comfortable sharing vulnerable stories. A lot of her writings centre around faith, mental health, family, love, being brown and queer.

San San Ja (she/her) is a Australian-Cambodian poet and storyteller whose works are influenced by her travels, faith, and family history. She was featured in Soul Lounge and was part of the cast for Journey at Tandanya. She is a strong believer that the art of poetry can be used to develop people's communication skills and inspire others to walk beyond their comfort zone.

Prosper is a Burundian artist whose affinity for creative expression was realised early on through literature, music, and visual arts. Prosper’s work includes popular use of metaphors, personification, movement, dance, and theatre. His influences range from contemporary hip hop, blues, indie-folk, and popular cinema and literature, to subjects of the human condition, pain, pleasure, love, loss, and the individual self, amongst others.

Ruhi Yaganagi (she/her) is an Iranian-Indian contemporary visual artist, who has recently fallen in love with spoken word. Her work explores concepts of displacement, belonging, and spirituality, with the hopes of celebrating diversity through the sharing of stories and perspectives.

Venue: Adelaide City Library, 3 Rundle Place, 77 Rundle Mall, Adelaide

If you are unable to make the event after registering, please contact [email protected] to allow someone else to take your place.