Beaming with pride, Azam was visibly moved at this recognition by some of the best poets in the region for his recitation of three original poems “Stutter”, “Power” and “Whore”.

He beat 17 others from Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia in a contest of will and words.

Others in the Malaysian team were Kimchi Lai, who clinched the second runner-up spot, as well as Umar Azizi and Chloe Ling.

Not for the faint-hearted, the competition was an intense process, consisting of three rigorous rounds, performed by the poets who got on stage and bared their souls at the BluJaz Cafe.

Personal experiences and political upheaval

Speaking about his poems, Azam said, “A poet can’t be detached from reality and current events that shook the country.”

He was referring to his poem ‘Stutter’, a personal account of his struggles with stuttering as a young man, and how poetry helped him overcome it.

“Power” meanwhile centred on the recent political events in Malaysia including GE14 and the 1MDB scandal.

His final poem for the night “Whore” brought the house down when Azam read, “We are all whores in this world, we only choose which parts to sell.”

Dedicating his win to fellow Malaysian poets and artistes in the scene, Azam said, “I hope this proves that Malaysia has the capability to produce international talents in the literary and performing arts.

“It is my hope that this win draws more attention and much-needed support for the poetry scene and my fellow poets not just in Malaysia, but also in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.”

Poets from the Philippines Team were Leandro, Marc, Ralph, Leila and Allan, while Bumi, Virginia, Richard and Al represented Indonesia.

The Singaporean Team was made up of Vanezia (who was first runner-up), Anu, Kevin and Atiq while Jack Malik was the Sacrificial Poet.

The Asia Pacific Poetry Slam was held in conjunction with the three-day Lit Up Literary Festival held annually in Singapore by the National Youth Council (NYC), National Arts Council, Word Forward and others.