Brighton Slam Heat, SA

The Holdfast Bay and West Torrens Libraries heat was held in Brighton on Tuesday, 26th October and was won by Mira Pavlovic with Nigel Ford as runner up.

Here's what Mira had to say when we interviewed her. 

"I have always had an interest in language, especially reading and writing poetry and short stories, and used to read them in front of the class at school, and to people at work. It gave me enormous satisfaction and pride to make them laugh and smile!  That is as far as my 'experience and performance' goes, but I've always had a dream of becoming a song writer...

I never knew about 'Poetry Slam', until I read about it in the Greenacres Library on the notice board, and immediately got excited! My poetry had been 'dormant' for so long, and here was my chance to 'resurrect' it again, so I entered!  I have always believed that poetry is the strongest, deepest, and most thought provoking and entertaining form of expression there is. Nothing can move the soul more, than a heart wrenching poem, and nothing can make you pee your pants laughing more, than a 'witty ditty'!

APS: Have you performed in front of an audience before?
MP: The only audience I have performed to before, are at school and at work (as stated above).

APS: How did you feel performing your own writing?
MP: I felt very excited and nervous to be performing my own writing,and to have people hear it. I also am a very self-conscious, depressed person who lacks public speaking skills and confidence, so that is something I need to over-come to do well, and get the 'balance' right.

APS: Do you have a favourite style of writing or a favourite writer?
MP: I love to write humourous, sarcastic, satirical poems, and make fun of everyday life and people, but then again, I also like to write the 'deepest and darkest' poems. One thing my poems have in common is that they all rhyme, as I love the challenge of playing with words, and making them rhyme. I enjoy writing poems in the  'Pam Ayres' style, and I absolutely love her poetry and wit.

APS: Do you think it is important for Australians to write and perform their own work and why?
MP: I think is important Australians  perform their own work, as they best know how it should be performed and read. No-one has the same passion for a piece of writing, as the person who wrote it, and they can make it more meaningful, and believable by doing it themselves. BUT, on the other hand, if you get as nervous as I do performing, then it's not a good idea at all! - But you won the Slam heat, Mira!


Mira performing her winning poem.


Mira shows us her prize with host, Daniel Watson


Runner up, Nigel Ford performing