16/03/2026
Under the bright cast of a Sunday afternoon, a gathering of writers and readers met to mark a decade of literary accessibility. The occasion was the launch of Splash of Poetry Volume 2, a collection featuring more than 20 poets from Writers Bloc International. For an organisation that has spent ten years bringing the spoken word into the light, the event was a vibrant testament to the community they have built.
The centrepiece of the afternoon was an interactive game designed to break the traditional barrier between performer and audience. Guests were encouraged to listen to as many poems as possible, earning points for every interaction they took in. While the activity began with a spark of competition, the drive to collect points soon softened. The pace of the room shifted as the desire to "win" gave way to a deeper interest in the stories being shared. What began as a game ended as an intimate exchange, with many guests finding a profound sense of connection in the not-so-quiet corners of the venue.
Among those navigating the room was Iulian Tatu, a law student whose focus extends beyond legal precedents to the rhythm of the page. While the top prize of the day included a suite of BSC software valued at nearly R10,000, Tatu arrived with a specific, personal agenda. He viewed the afternoon as a rare opportunity to bridge the gap between his private writing and a public audience.
Throughout the event, Tatu was deeply immersed in the poetry, even earning an opportunity to freestyle a poem to the crowd. His goal was straightforward: to find a reader for his work and to plant the seeds for a future in publishing, but what he also found were readers, writers and kindred spirits who are a part of an unshakeable community at Writers Bloc.
That dedication and _Whatever It Takes_ mindset earned him more than just a core memory; Tatu emerged as the winner of a specialised publishing journey, a programme tailored to help debut poets establish a lasting legacy. As he balances the rigours of law school with the demands of the printing press, the literary community will be watching his progress closely with incredible support. Iulian Tatu’s journey from the lecture hall to a published volume is just beginning.
