Side Walks is an annual pop-up storytelling, ideas and literature festival run by Centre for Stories. In unique venues across Perth and Northbridge, Side Walks is a curated whirlwind of talks, performances and readings with a special emphasis on homegrown talent. Side Walks was made possible in 2021 with funding from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Centre for Stories Founders Circle, Rayner Real Estate, and Aspen Corporate Financial Planning. Thanks also to our in-kind venue partners, Randal Humich, North Metropolitan TAFE, and St George’s Cathedral.

Still I Rise is a bilingual poetry reading featuring originals poems written in response to Maya Angelou’s poem of the same name. It features poets Karen Escobar, Afeif Ismail, Dureshawar Khan and Daniel Hansen.

Originally from Colombia (yes with that last name, not related to Pablo), Karen Escobar became an Australian citizen in 2012. She’s a poet on her way to admission to the WA bar. Karen’s work has been published in Centre for Stories’ anthology, To Hold the Clouds, and Pulch Mag.

Afeif Ismail is an award-winning and internationally published multilingual Australian-Sudanese writer, poet and playwright. Extracts of his work have been translated into English, German, Spanish and Swedish. Afeif has published eight books of poetry and short stories in Arabic, and seven books in English. In Australia, Afeif’s poetry, plays and short stories, which have been co-transcreated from Arabic with Dr Vivienne Glance, have appeared in multiple journals and anthologies.

Dureshawar Khan is an Esapzai Pashtun woman from Khyber Pukhtunkhwa now based in Boorloo. Dureshawar is a poet, playwright and performance artist whose works explore concepts of womanhood, identity and belonging from the perspective of a migrant Pashtun woman residing on stolen land and reconnecting remotely with her Tribal culture.

Daniel Murray Hansen is a Ballardong Nyoongar performance poet and musician. He has performed around WA in Quairading, York, Northam, Denmark and more. Daniel uses poetry as a platform to help others deal with mental health challenges and to help gain recognition for Aboriginal people across Australia. He believes that poetry is in everything and everything is poetry.

Credit: Sophie Minissale