By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, July 22 — The inaugural two-day Selangor Poetry Festival (FPS) held at Raja Tun Uda Library here was well received by attendees.
The festival combined three main programmes — the 38th Merdeka Poetry Declamation Contest, the Selangor Poetry Day celebration, and the state-level National Reading Decade event.
For the poetry contest, self-employed Shahrul Fadilah Ibrahim, 51, was declared winner and will represent the state at the national-level competition next month.
The contest drew 41 participants, of whom six were shortlisted for the final round, which was held yesterday evening.
Organised by Selangor youth writers’ group Kemudi in collaboration with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, the Selangor Public Library Corporation and the National Coalition of Writers’ Associations, the festival also featured other events, such as book sales, forums and pantun games.
Three National Laureates — Datuk Zurinah Hassan, Datuk Siti Zainon dan Dato’ Rahman Shari — were featured in a forum titled “Weaving Peace Through Words” earlier yesterday.
Deputy State Secretary (Development) Dato’ Johary Anuar, who officiated the programme, said the festival is the starting point for all parties to bring together ideas to develop the nation’s arts and literature industry.
“This can bring the industry to greater heights. We are fortunate to have literature groups in Selangor like Kemudi, which have been working tirelessly to preserve the national heritage.”
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