At the end of October, we lent our support to Shanghai-based publisher HAL Publishing with their event Girls on Top; a poetry showcase featuring an international group of the best female poets the city has to offer.

Having heard about the event from HAL co-founder (and fellow Swede) Björn Wahlstrom, it didn’t take too much convincing to get us on board. HAL is a publishing house that gives Shanghai’s best writers outlets to get their works the exposure they deserve, and Girls on Top is just one of many literary events that HAL hosts on a near-monthly basis.

 

The Girls on Top event was exactly what we were looking for – being lovers of theater, the literary arts, and very talented lady poets showing their skills in a no-holds-barred poetry throwdown.


The poems covered topics ranging from sexual identity to the perception of self and those perceptions interpreted by others; in all, a very thought-provoking set of works. The night’s poets included special guest Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, who held court on HBO’s Def Poetry for 3 years and is an author as well as a recording artist. It was an enjoyable evening, and if you find yourself in Shanghai in need of interesting company and a healthy dose of culture, we’d suggest checking out their next event.
 

Click here  to learn more about HAL Publishing and read original works by Shanghai-based poets and writers.

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