A new poetry, live music and comedy series called “TALK” kicks off on February 20th at the Spot Sports Bar and Grill at the UWI, Mona Students’ Union. The event will be staged every other Wednesday after the first edition and will run for a period of 4 shows for the semester beginning at 6:30PM each evening. “There are three basic reasons for putting this event together (1) to diversify the entertainment options available at the tertiary level (2) to showcase young talented individuals and (3) to raise money towards IKAN’s Phoenix fund that will benefit the survivors of the tragic Armadale fire”, says Randy McLaren the “Kriativ Aktivis” who heads the organizing team.

The mission is to satisfy the needs of those who appreciate culture and those who want a space to make their voices be heard, regardless of the form that their creative expression takes. McLaren noted that “established artistes from different fields will be on show each week. One week we may have a radio personality or a DJ doing some poetry, you can never tell”. Outside of the featured performers, there will also be Open Mic Talk, Freestyle Talk, Sweet Talk and other features where audience members can also participate to win prizes.

International recording artiste I Wayne has been confirmed as the headliner for the opening of the series. Other performers include Dub Poet Steppa, Yashika Graham and Sean Bennett. MC duties will be done by Randy McLaren and Debbie Bissoon, host of E-Prime. Regardless of the lack of sponsorship, the organizers are pushing ahead with this charitable event as they seek to satisfy the needs of students, staff and other consumers of cultural products. Entry to the event is $300 pre-sold and $500 at the gate for students with ID while those without ID pay$500 pre-sold and $700 at the gate.