For Nepali slam poetry enthusiasts, Word Warriors (WW) is a household name. Members Yukta Bajracharya and Ujjwala Maharjan have made it their life’s motto to discover, practise and refine the art of poetry, spearheading the slam movement in Nepal, backed up by a horde of poets and even more followers. Besides slam (or spoken word poetry), they are also involved in Write To Speak, which they talk about in detail along with their personal stories and body or work in this interview with the Post’s Gaurav Pote. Excerpts:

Tell us a little about your journeys till now.

Yukta: You’ve caught me at a phase where I am unsure of everything. But these are the things I am certain about. I love drinking chiya with long conversations. Poetry is an integral part of my life. I know I will always carry poetry with me, where ever I go and whatever I do

Ujjwala: I was an awkward little girl who didn’t know how to talk to people (boys especially), still am, in a certain sense. I grew up in my Mamaghar where my youngest aunt encouraged the creative side of me instead of pushing me to be studious. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but I had a list of what I didn’t want to do and so I followed the rule of elimination and it led me to pursue media, art and literature for my studies, a stint in journalism as a career for a while, and towards poetry and education, where I am currently at.

Tell us about Word Warriors. How are you involved?

Ujjwala: In the virtual world of Facebook, where Word Warriors first started off as a group, it is an open collective of people who love poetry, write poetry themselves and care to read and give feedback to other people’s poetry. Outside of Facebook, where we think the group has been making a more credible impact, it is a group of people who actively take part in spoken word events and workshops organised by Word Warriors themselves or others and who believe in the art form and its potential to bring out stories. Currently, we are the project coordinators for Word Warriors travelling and teaching spoken word to youngsters outside Kathmandu with a project called Write to Speak.

Being a poet and spearheading a literary movement like WW must be tough. What keeps you motivated?

Ujjwala: It’s not exactly tough because we’re just doing what we like doing. It does get overwhelming at times when people think ‘we’re spearheading a literary movement’, but it’s actually a lot of people besides the two of us who are doing that. But every person who has joined the group has contributed something new to the collective—through their unique poetry and teaching styles. Their individual takes on poetry or enthusiasm to organise people to do more poetry workshops, events or new ideas they have tried out. It’s meeting these people that keeps me motivated.

Can you tell us more about Write to Speak?

Spoken word poetry is a great art form through, which young people can tell their stories. Write to Speak is a spoken word poetry campaign that aims to introduce spoken word poetry to the youth, especially women and individuals from communities that have been traditionally suppressed. The hope is that the youth we work with are inspired to inspire others in their community and to help us take this spoken word poetry movement forward in Nepal. The two-and-a-half-year project is supported by Danish Center for Culture and Development (CKU) and is being implemented by Word Warriors and Quixote’s Cove.

Gender often is a major theme in both your poetry. What’s your perception of Nepali society regarding gender differences and gender roles?

Yukta: Gender goes beyond the binary and slowly we are learning to accept that. There are individuals and movements working to change the discrimination and injustice in our society. Things are definitely changing. But the society we live in today is still a product of patriarchy. There is still a long way to go. We need to consciously fight against patriarchy. Patriarchy doesn’t only harm us women, it wrongs all of us.

Ujjwala: It’s very apparent that our Nepali society is skewed in terms of gender roles, like all other societies, with its patriarchal set up. Things have to change so that no gender is above others and they’re not entitled to privileges just because of their gender. The patriarchal system has skewed gender roles for all these genders, putting up burdens of way too many expectations for one, and way too much restraints for the other.

You must read a lot. Do you have a favourite book or an author? Do you happen to have some reading tips for us?

Yukta: Sadly, I don’t these days. This is a tip I am giving to myself more than to anyone else: discipline yourself to make time to read every day. I am currently reading Karnali Blues, by Buddhisagar and I’m loving it. Growing up, The Giver, by Lois Lowry was a favourite.

Ujjwala: I can’t really point to one book or author. But if I had to talk about definite love, I remember I fell in love with the sassiness in the poems by Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes the same way I fell in love with the striking details in Bhupi Sherchan’s Ghumne Mech Maathi Andho Manchhe, the simplicity in Manu Manjil’s Lamp Post Bata Khaseko Joon, the beauty of language in Arundhati Roy’s God Of Small Things, and the poetry performances by Sarah Kay, Rafeef Ziadah, Andrea Gibson and Shane Koyczan. As for reading tips, when you’re confused with where or who or which book to start with, pick up any book you get and try reading a bunch of them till you figure out a certain author, topic, or style you like and then you’re on your way.