Poetry moved beyond the stage and into the room. At Villa Viva, spoken word met live music, wine, a DJ and community, creating a Sunday afternoon made for listening, connecting and staying a little longer.
We looked back at the stories that shaped us. Through family, memory, language, heritage and home, poets explored what we inherit from those who came before us and the pieces of them we continue to carry.
Women took the stage and the conversation beyond it. Poetry, music and open dialogue moved through creativity, publishing, artistic spaces and the realities women navigate within them.
This edition sat with changes all its uncertainty. Poets reflected on growth, transition and the unfinished versions of ourselves that emerge while we are still figuring out who we are.
There was no single direction to follow. Uncorked gave each poet space to arrive with their own stories, perspectives and styles, creating a night shaped by the variety in the room
Our very first Unbottled Words Sessions. Stories spilled freely as poets stepped into vulnerability, honesty and expression without restraint. It was a night of saying the things that had perhaps been held in for too long.
Different lives met beneath one shared sky.Through poetry, we moved between identity, belonging and human connection, finding common ground without asking our differences to disappear.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Samantha Bhango ( Sam I am ) founded Words Uncorked with a simple belief: that poetry deserves spaces where it can be experienced with the same care, intention and sense of occasion as fine wine.
Blending her background in music, writing, digital storytelling and community building, she curates experiences that bring together artists, audiences and partners through literature, conversation and culture.
Through Words Uncorked, Samantha hopes to create a platform that not only celebrates performance, but nurtures lasting creative relationships and meaningful collaborations across South Africa and beyond.