This Sunday, Abe Nouk will head to the Sydney Opera House to tread the boards against the best spoken words artists in the country vying for the title of national Australian Poetry Slam champion for 2015.
A Sudanese refugee who fled wartorn Africa to Australia with his mother and seven siblings in 2004, Abraham “Abe” Nouk didn’t speak a word of English when he first arrived in Melbourne.
Three years ago, Nouk began teaching himself to read English. Now, the 25-year-old is a two-time Victorian champion slam poet.
After winning the Victorian title for the second time in September at the State Library, Nouk now prepares to do battle for the title.
The winner of the Australian Poetry Slam, Australia’s largest spoken word competition now in its 12th year, receives an ultimate tour of Asia valued at over $11,000 including a trip to Beijing to appear the Bookworm International Writers Festival and a trip to Bali to appear at the Ubud Writer’s Festival.
Read more about his inspiring story in The Age