So I listened to my heart and this is what happened!

On International Women's Day this year, I finally made a resolution to utilise my newly learnt skill ( I had a year's training in podcasting and podcast production ) and put it into good use. So I worked on the project, solo for now, and I honestly do hope that I'll be able to sustain and grow this into a non-profit organisation of its own to be handed down for generations to come.

Back in 2005, I had an idea to create an audio book, a collection of poetry readings by women. It was to be named rooms... and if you can imagine a live set, think Rent the Musical, an apartment block with windows facing the audience, and through each window, there sits a woman reading her poetry. And the lighting magic shines in from one window to another. Gosh! Could this really come alive one day as a live production? One day.

I listened to my heart and just went for it. I just feel this is a project that is true, that needs to be done, and I'm pouring myself into it. Plus, in these pandemic times, while holed in an apartment, these things seem possible. My list of interview subjects is growing. I have 99 seasons to produce, one season for one amazing woman with stories to share. I am the 100th, and I started with myself! I recorded my own poetry, and I recorded conversations with mum. I've just released Season Two: Dr. Ann Lee, an award-winning playwright and researcher who's of mixed parentage; her mother is Hakka-Chinese and her father is from Manchester. We recorded the interview in a studio in Sydney, via Zoom.

I just went all in with my heart and still am in awe at myself that it's done! Seriously! I can only hope and work hard to improve, I promise you I'll be doing that. Feel free to drop your comments below if you have any questions and if you'd like to cheer me on, click through to the official website and find out how you can support this project. I hope you'll enjoy this season with Ann Lee. Thank YOU!

Listen by Heart Podcast

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LISTEN BY HEART: Stories from the women of the South China Seas

Celebrating International Women's Day 2021 with WORD action! #ChoosetoChallenge #IWD2021 #IWDPoetry

Open call to women of Southeast Asian heritage to submit poetry & short stories to be featured in a podcast. 

From 2003-2012, I was actively writing, performing spoken word poetry and organising poetry & music gigs in the Kuala Lumpur circuit. Together with Jerome Kugan, Sabahan singer songwriter and then editor of a lifestyle magazine KLUE, we formed Wayang Kata in collaboration with the British Council Malaysia and Apples & Snakes UK to showcase performance poetry. Those were great days of unraveling stories from so many interesting layers of society and cultures. 

girlgungho · Jasmine Low does "Spoken Word"

I had an idea back in 2006-2007 to collect and curate stories in the form of poetry, song and short stories for an audio book titled ROOMS. I recorded two original performance poetry pieces I wrote - one was performed at The Actors' Studio Bangsar and the other was a gig - you're listening to a younger me. I collected a few recordings from women writers and poets, but never published it. That idea never left me, it was always there, just waiting for the right time and I think this year may be the right time to bring it alive. 

So in conjunction with International Women's Day this year and their tagline #ChoosetoChallenge for spoken word poets, this one's for all of you ladies! Read more on IWD 2021...

And who has inspired all of this, I suspect? A young lady by the name of Amanda Gorman at the inauguration of Joe Biden as President & Kamala Harris as Vice President of the United States of America.

So here goes... This is an open call to women of Southeast Asian heritage, no matter where you're living now. I'd love to hear your stories and if you'd like to be featured on my podcast, LISTEN BY HEART: Voices of the women of the South China Seas, drop me a email at jasminelow@jasminelow.com.  It's my hope and desire to turn this project into an open source archive for women of Southeast Asian heritage to share their stories.

I will get the ball rolling with my own stories, readings of poems and interviews with mum in the first season of the podcast. It'll be an ongoing work-in-progress and you can listen to it here: listenbyheart.webprojx.com.

Thank you and please subscribe to the podcast for updates.