If you think it’s hard to write a poem, how about “performing” poetry on stage?

United States-based spoken word poets Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye make it look easy, and will even visit the Philippines to show people how.

Kay and Kaye will perform in Manila for the first time on March 1 and 2, at the iAcademy, Makati City; they will also hold two sessions of poetry workshops on March 3, at One Central mini-theater, also in Makati.

Kay and Kaye are cofounders of Project VOICE (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression), a group that  entertains, educates and inspires people through spoken word poetry.

While many may not know what spoken word poetry is, people are aware of its roots, which is the oral tradition of storytelling. Much of what Kay and Kaye share is the love for spoken word poetry, described as a “hybrid of poetry and theater,” written for and performed on stage than read on the page.

Kay and Kaye have been widely known as “ambassadors” of spoken word, favorites of local spoken word artists.

To the surprise of organizer Words Anonymous, tickets sold out only five days after its official announcement. This prompted the adding of another performance date.

Abby Orbeta and Roch Lazarte of Words Anonymous said that it took them a year to invite Project VOICE to the Philippines.

“When we were organizing this event, our biggest question was whether people would buy tickets to watch and listen to poetry, or if we could fill the auditorium. We did not expect this kind of overwhelming support for the spoken word,” said Lazarte.

Bring in the crowd

Herself a spoken word poet, Orbeta said that she wasn’t sure if spoken word poetry could bring in the crowd the way concerts or theater shows could. Little did they know that the YouTube searches and online likes could translate into actual support when the right time came.

“We started getting into spoken word poetry with YouTube by watching videos online. A lot of us went that route. It’s not like we were trained in this. I think that’s how the movement started, online talaga,” Orbeta recalled.

“When these videos became viral, when these two big names (Kay and Kaye) came out, we thought it was just us—same circle of poets—who want this. We didn’t know there were many others and that the movement was already that big,” she added.

Their online videos have garnered over 20 million views and are often cited as gateway performances that have introduced people to the medium, eliciting enough curiosity to learn more.

Today, other known spoken word poets include Andrea Gibson, Neil Hilborn, Shane Koyczan, the poets from New York’s Bowery Poetry Club and the world’s best performers who gather in the annual Queensland Poetry Festival’s Spoken in One Strange Word in Australia.

Kay and Kaye have gone far and wide as “poets on tour,” which made their visit to the Philippines possible alongside performances in Singapore and Malaysia.

Kay’s best poems include “B,” “Postcard,” “The Type” and “Hiroshima,” among others.

Meanwhile, Kaye’s “Repetition,” “Surplus” and “Teeth” have been widely viewed and shared as well.

Some of their most popular performances together include “When Love Arrives” and “An Origin Story.” In the latter, the two explained that they shared more than a surname and have a number of strange coincidences between them. And while the two speak of love in most of their pieces, they always put out the disclaimer that they are neither related, nor have they dated.

Supporters

Although their primary audience when teaching spoken word are mainly students at schools and universities, the two have embraced all sorts of supporters. They have performed for the United Nations, Cannes Lions Creativity Festival in France, the Lincoln Center, in TED Talks, and even in maximum security prisons through Space in Prisons for the Arts and Creative Expressions (SPACE) in the US, among others.

Kay and Kaye have also been featured on CNN, NPR, Wired, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and many others.

Kay has also authored two best-selling volumes of poetry, “B” and “No Matter the Wreckage,” while Kaye’s poetry anthology, “A Lightbulb Symphony,” was published in 2011.

They met in Brown University where they also graduated. Kay went on to earn her master’s degree in Education there and was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Grinnell College.

In the last few months leading to the event,Words Anonymous has regularly hosted poetry nights and open mic sessions, and even organized contests called slams in pockets of the metro to raise awareness on spoken word poetry.

It holds events in Sev’s Café in Malate and Satinka Naturals Bistro and Café in Makati. Other groups have also been holding similar events at The Warrior Poet Café in Cubao X and Café Diem in Quezon City; one group would even hold poetry nights only during full moon at Moonleaf Tea Shop in Quezon City.

Words Anonymous’ poets—Orbeta, Lazarte, Juan Miguel Severo, Michelle Manese, Trevor Viloria, Slac Cayamanda, Louise Meets,  Franz Pantaleon, Zuee Herrera, Jihad Mambuay, Nona Dumlao, Sharee Narciso and Angel Cruz—have also been invited to perform  for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Fête de la Musique, Intramuros Rising and even for workshops in schools.

“This could be the start of something good,” said Orbeta.