Women In Publishing. Poetry, Performance & Publishing with Sabrina Mahfouz, 9 October 2013

The popularity of the spoken word and poetry was the topic under discussion at the October WIP event. The multi-award winning poet and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz gave a lively talk and performed some of her work to an enrapt audience. A former civil servant with a Masters Degree in International Diplomacy, Sabrina writes poetry and prose. "That Boy", her first theatre piece won a Westminster Prize for new playwrights in 2010. She has also been awarded a UK Young Artists Award for her poetry collective and an IdeasTap Innovator Award for theatre and poetry and an Old Vic New Voices Edinburgh Award. Represented by Curtis Brown she has recently been signed by Bloomsbury's Methuen Drama imprint.

Sabrina said, "Poetry is gaining in popularity, [it's] a lot to do with being an antidote to other art forms popular right now...against X Factor..[it's] a communal experience." She added, "Trust is at an all time low..no one believes anything anyone says anymore..three to five minute bursts to listen to something...[it's] really instinctive...[people] recognize it as something really rare in their lives..at the moment." She believes that there is "cumulative power in small live events" which can transform people's lives. Performance art is now able to be enjoyed across the UK. She recommended attending "Farrago" in London, which is a performance and spoken word event.