Lights Out: The poetry community bringing writers together in Oman

After graduating from university in the United States, poet and author Qais al Habsi found himself missing the writing spaces he had grown used to.
“I used to participate in open mic nights during university and was part of a small writing group that met every week. I missed that experience, so I wanted to bring the same feeling, energy and sense of belonging back home,” al Habsi said.
“I thought, why not have people come together and write?”
In 2024, that idea turned into Lights Out, Oman’s first English-language poetry club, which al Habsi founded as a space for writers to come together and write.
“We are a community of writers, authors, speakers and creatives. At our core, we share a love of writing and creative expression, particularly poetry,” he said.
'Each Lights Out session revolves around a curated theme, often inspired by recent events, literature or conversations within the group. Writing prompts are provided to help participants reflect, write and approach poetry from different angles.'
“Participants can expect engaging dialogue, an avenue to express themselves, and to look at poetry from different angles,” al Habsi said.
When selecting themes, he said they often emerge naturally from the community’s own conversations and experiences.
“I try to focus on topics that are relevant to the community and to our own experiences. They can be about family, friendship, betrayal, love or many other subjects,” he said.
One theme he often returns to is what he calls “the chains of doubt”.
“It reflects one of the core struggles many poets face. We often navigate life with uncertainty, self-doubt and reservations about ourselves. Poetry becomes a way to process those feelings and challenge the narratives we tell ourselves,” he said.
For al Habsi, writing is not only creative, but also deeply reflective.
“Writing allows us to reframe how we see ourselves and how we see the world,” he said.
He describes the process as therapeutic.
“What I enjoy most is when discussions grow beyond the original theme and lead to ideas that people had never considered before. Through respectful dialogue and new perspectives, we begin to see reality differently,” he said.
Since its launch, Lights Out has grown to include 15 active members and a wider community of about 56 people. According to al Habsi, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Many participants tell me they write in ways they have never written before, or that they are writing again for the first time in years. It encourages people to step outside their comfort zones,” he said.
But Lights Out is not limited to writing sessions. The group also hosts open mic nights, afternoon tea sessions, board game nights, movie nights and other gatherings.
“We aim to write as much as we aim to foster a vibrant community,” al Habsi said.
That sense of community extends beyond the group itself. Al Habsi hopes to collaborate with other communities and initiatives in Oman, introducing more people to poetry and creative writing.
“Collaboration helps us reach more people, create awareness and introduce new ideas. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage more people to write and to change how they think about writing and poetry. I truly believe there is a poet within each of us,” he said.
Looking beyond Lights Out, al Habsi believes Oman’s English-language poetry scene has significant untapped potential.
“There are many talented writers and poets out there, and many of them have already published their work. However, a lot of these voices remain local. Compared to the Arabic poetry scene, the English-language poetry scene is a very different space,” he said.
He believes greater visibility could help local writers reach wider audiences.
“I think we could do more to promote ourselves. We could organise more book tours, participate in more interviews and generally do a better job of marketing our work. Many writers publish something and then move on,” he said.
Looking ahead, al Habsi hopes to see initiatives such as a national poetry slam competition, creating opportunities for Omani poets to gain regional and international exposure.
“There is potential. We write; we just do not show it sometimes,” he said.
Lights Out can be reached on Instagram at @lightsout.om.