In late August, WrICE and Footscray Community Arts Centre worked together to present the diverse talents of participating fellows from the 2015 Vietnam trip. WrICE writers took part in numerous events in the Poetic (Days) Weekend, including a panel discussion, masterclasses and the program highlight poetry event, One Night Stanza.

On a cold Friday evening we were treated to a panel featuring Cate Kennedy, Jhoanna Cruz and Bao Chan Nguyen. The women discussed diversity and representation across literary mediums, how beneficial cultural immersion is to a writer, the struggles women face in the literary sector and how much they themselves were willing to sacrifice to do the work they love. South Australian Writer, Manal Younus was our host and did a
wonderful job of asking thoughtful, intelligent questions and encouraging the writers to speak freely.

We returned on an equally cold Saturday night for One Night Stanza, an all-women poetry event with WrICE writers Melody Paloma, Jhoanna Cruz and Bao Chan Nguyen. The event also featured poets Mayda Del Valle, Atong Atem and Manal Younus. One Night Stanza was an incredible event. Every poem felt important. They ranged from sad to funny to sweet and sometimes confronting. The performers read beautifully, clear voices carrying all the way to the back seats.

It felt very special to sit in a warm room with our seats packed tightly together listening to these women read to us, showing us the value of poetry, as well as its power.