Slamming in the South West

What began as a local alternative to the inner-Sydney performance poetry scene has quickly exploded into the largest poetry slam in the Southern Hemisphere.

Bankstown Poetry Slam (BPS) is a community-based initiative supported by BYDS and hosted at the Bankstown Arts Centre. Co-founders Sara Mansour and Ahmad Al Rady acted on the need for a platform for local young people to have a voice. But the co-founders could not have anticipated the massive appeal of the local slams, which now attract more than 200 people a month to perform and listen to spoken word poetry.

BPS has featured renowned writers and performers alongside local talents, drawing participants from Western Sydney and beyond. Slam regulars, including Al Rady and Yasmin Lewis, have reached the state finals of the National Poetry Slam heats.

Bankstown Poetry Slam is held on the last Tuesday of the month.

Mapping Frictions features video performances by spoken word poets Asma Yusra, Ahmad Al Rady, Andrew Luc, Aamon Sayed, and Sara Mansour.

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