As German poet Kim J Baaden took the stage, the audience at the International Literature Festival organised by National College fell silent. As Baaden’s voice—in the form of snores and quirky classroom noises—reverberated through the mass, people quickly discerned the sarcastic tone of Baaden’s ‘sound poetry’ that expressed how sometimes closed classroom milieu restricts creativity. Some from the audience couldn’t help but laugh joyfully at Baaden’s ingenious mindful poem.

Besides Baaden, many other poets and writers took to the stage to recite their work at the first International Literature Festival, enthralling participants and audiences alike.

The literature festival primarily focused on reading the works of writers and poets to an engaging audience of literature, which consequently helped in brewing an intimate setting for the festival. “It’s a beautiful event, very-well conducted with an eclectic audience,” said Binata Agrawal, a poet from India.

The programme saw participation from more than 22 international poets and writers, who came together to celebrate the diversity that is now present in literature. Many of the international participants added that the festival had made them curious about the works of

many Nepali poets who write in English. “This festival has been a revelation for me. I found out that Nepali poetry is as much about spirituality as much it is about feminism, identity or of political thought or angst on issues. They are so rich in content,” said Agrawal.

The first day of the festival also had on stage young student poets from the National College and various other colleges to perform their poems at the auditorium of the National College.

“We are all going through something in life, and we are bundled in our emotions and I think the only way we are able to express them is through creativity. And therefore, I feel events like these are important, as they encourage us to explore our creative skills,” says Sajju Maharjan, an undergraduate student at the National College. Maharjan had recited her poem titled ‘Scattered Pieces’ on the first day of the event, which was well-received by the audience.

“When we are in college, we usually focus more on academics and sometimes in the process, we don’t even realise the creative skills of our own friends, but events like these give students a platform to showcase their abilities and explore their creativity,” adds Shrestha.

However, for a college organised programme, the International Literature Festival didn’t see much students’ engagement, besides the volunteers and participating students. Many guests also felt that the programme could have been more interactive for all the participants.

“The programme is nice, but it could have been more meaningful if it had also separated some time for the audience to interact with the authors on stage,” said Dr Archana Thapa, a writer based in Kathmandu.

The second day of the event also featured a panel discussion on the topic: ‘Women’s writing: Is this enough to break the wall?’ The discussion highlighted the difference between

feminism and women writing and the idea of gendered writing to address the changing gender dynamics. The conversation also focused on the need for the representation of marginalised people in literature.

“While the event has spaced out less time for interaction with the performers, I believe festivals like these are important for they make way for interaction that helps in changing mindsets of people as they question how language is being used in literature,” says Thapa.