Bringing budding poets together, Words & Strings is a non-profit poetry group that’s passionate about spoken word and offers people an open space to share their ideas, poems, stories and music.

We often moan and groan (me included) that Qatar is the State of Boredom: there’s nothing to do here, no fun, no creativeness. Yet there’s always something new (or not so new in this case) that’s slipped under our radar. Last month I discovered Words & Strings and thought that you’d like to know about it too. It’s fun. It’s friendly. And it gets you to think. Come to one of there bi-monthly events – usually held at Katara Art’s Centre – and you’ll notice just how diverse Qatar’s creative talent is: at their last event the group welcomed it’s youngest performer (aged 8) who had the crowd laughing along at her witty ditty.

These regular events are a relaxed affair attracting around 60-70 attendees who warmly welcome each performer to the stage. So if you’re a little unsure about your work or speaking in front of a crowd, you’ll be put instantly at ease in this friendly environment and find that it’s a safe place to perform and discuss ideas and thoughts with like-minded people.

So who do we have to thank for bringing Words & Strings into our lives? Co-founder Amin Issac fromed the group in September 2014 after realizing that while Qatar was in no shortage of creative minds, there was not a consistent platform that brought them together to share their work. In addition to Isaac, the team has grown to include Elmoiz Elsheikh - Graphic Designer and Multimedia Specialist, Ahmed Alfadel – Event MC and Logistics Coordinator, Ahmed Hayder – Videographer, Abdelrahim Kattab – Editor, Tariq Al-fatieh – Photographer, and Arwa Elsanosi – Event and Communication Coordinator.

If you’d like to discover more about the group and their events, you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar